November 7,

The combination of the heart and mind is fundamental to living a life of worth. The mind alone is analytical; add in the heart to this equation and the result is compassion, patience and love to name a few.

There is a field of medicine devoted to the study of the heart/mind combination, nerocardiology. According to Dr. Dominique Surel in “Thinking from the Heart”, "It seems we have a second “brain” in our chest.” He mentions further that the heart learns and remembers, acts separately from the brain, and communicates in signals to the brain. In fact there is evidence that the heart sends more messages to the brain in a day than the brain sends to the heart. Thinking from the heart leads to mindfulness and thoughtfulness. And this leads to living a life of worth.

This healthy heart and mind combination is of great value to me and is something I hold deep gratitude for each day. And it was this wonderful combination that led to another thoughtful project of service yesterday for the Alternative Gift Fair next week. Thank you to Cathy, Jackie, Sheryl, and Jacque for stirring, chopping
peppers and apricots, filling jars, and washing dishes in the canning process for the burgundy cranberry sauce that is a popular item at the bake sale. In our church, when word goes out for help there are always people with that winning combination of hearts and minds for service to others. I am grateful.

"If my heart could do my thinking, would my brain begin to feel?”
~Van Morrison

Peace.