Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 

1 John 3:17-18

One very chilly afternoon last week a friend and I passed an hour in one of Northern California’s classic bastions of peace, love, and vegan, organic, raw, local, sustainable food served up in haute hippie style (need I mention that we were in Berkeley?). Menu items in this café, it must be understood, are named for declared graces. Thus, after repeating our order for two cups of “I Am Cozy,” our waitress—festively attired in a paisley dress, argyle knee socks, and a purple crocheted crown—said, “I’ll be right back with your tea. Meanwhile, today’s question is: What can we give away today?

She spun on her heel and left, leaving us to think what, indeed? The masses of stuff in my life began to slog in dreary parade past my mind’s eye. My friend wondered aloud if maybe the better question wouldn’t be, “What should we actually keep today?” Inspired, we set to making lists, which naturally began with loved ones (I’m happy to report that after the merest moment of hesitation, our respective teenage children made the cut).

A big thank you to Terces and Matthew from all of us!  Thank you for being fierce love warriors, for always being a space of love, and for listening with compassion for all of us.  Thank you for always seeming to get bigger!  Thank you for holding the space for dialogue and giving us the opportunity to share our amazing organic food and love!!!

After working on a Saturday afternoon and evening to catch up with accounting projects, I decided to go home to Vallejo, taking the Ferry at Pier-1, SF.  

If you picked up a newspaper today, you would have seen headlines about Presidential candidates, the Occupy Wall Street movement, Facebook’s business deals, and an Israeli soldier about to be freed in Palestine. Beyond the front page, you might read about turmoil in the Slovakian government or Obama’s jobs bill. Most of these stories seem important and worth a read. But are they the most important stories of the day?                                             For some time now, scientists have been alerting us that Earth is facing a “sixth extinction,” meaning that in our lifetimes up to half of the species that currently live on our planet could be wiped out. The previous five extinctions, taking place over the 4 billion years the Earth has existed, are thought to have been caused by extreme events like meteors and volcanic activities. But the current mass extinction we’re going through is caused by humans; our pollution, destruction of habitat, and overpopulation are just a few ways we’re wiping out hundreds of plants and animals every single day.
Isn’t the prospect of losing forever creatures like the elephant, polar bear, and chimpanzee important enough to make the front pages of the paper, every single day? Why isn’t our national conversation dominated by how to save the honey bee (whose extinction would mean collapse of most ecosystems worldwide)? I’m not saying we shouldn’t be worried about our economy, that articles about endangered orangutans should replace quality information about the government’s plans to create jobs. But if we don’t work fast to learn about the crisis and to save species across the globe, the unemployment rate will be the least of our worries, since human survival depends on all the species that are now at risk.

If you’d like to learn about the Sixth Extinction, we’re pleased to announce that we’re holding a screening of a new documentary, Call of Life, which explores this topic. Watching this film might give you information and a perspective you will never get by watching or reading the daily news! The film not only looks at the crisis in biodiversity, but also the elements of human nature that have brought us to this point, and how we can change our thinking in order to reverse course.

Watch the Trailer below, and Join us in Berkeley on Thursday, 10/20!

So first - the story. Yes! The story, who can i be without the story? A man in the wilderness sitting squatted in padmasana meditating about the self... Of course the story, once you succeeded, transforms into the path. The story is the funny thing we get to remember. The story is what puts bunions in the feet of our ego. The story, once expressed, is ether released into reality, and whoever gets to witness (if they are well enrolled) can help you reach the greatest goal. 

Last Wednesday was a very eventful day at Café Gratitude’s central office.  A few long-term computer issues came to a head, moved past the point of unworkable, and becoming what can only be called “Breakdowns.”

For the past year, we have been struggling with an issue where our Quickbooks imports corrupt our company file.  The cause of this problem has eluded us as we have tried solution after solution.  On Wednesday, we had a breakdown of this system that was big enough to put us completely offline, and force our bookkeeper to start writing checks by hand. However, this particular breakdown was so big, that our team was actually able to find the bug, and replicate it, and get to the bottom of what was causing the problem! The breakdown that had shut down one of our most important systems turned out to be the breakthrough that fixed what had been a perpetual problem.

Have you met frank?  Well, let me introduce you.  Frank Ferrante is a 58 year old Sicilian from Brooklyn; a lover of life, great food, beautiful women, and a good laugh.  Four years ago, he was also a drug addict, morbidly obese, pre-diabetic, and fighting Hepatitis C. He was estranged from his daughter, single, and struggling with depression. Frank knew that life could be better, and was looking for a way out.

When he walked into Cafe Gratitude and his server asked him, "What is one thing you want to do before you die?" he responded, "I want to fall in love one more time, but no one will love me looking the way I do."  That server, Ryland Engelhart, arming himself with a camera and a wide open heart, enrolled his brother and his best friend in taking Frank on a transformational journey. The final agreement was made that for the next 42 days, Frank would turn his life over to three twenty-something young men committed to his healing and prepared to coach him physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Setting out to help Frank lose weight and get healthy, no one anticipated the profound impact this journey would have on the lives of countless others.  Through Frank’s story of love, redemption, and transformation, the viewers witness the power of change for themselves and the world.  To find out more about his journey, visit MayIBeFrankMovie.com

"In spite of the anxiety and uncertainty, I am so grateful to be alive and to participate in this adventure. I get to do my dream job; travel and emotionally connect with people. The Beatles were right, “ …and in the end. The love you take is equal to the love you make.” I plan to make as much as possible. "

Now, Frank is extending his invitation of love to you.  "Change Your Life" is Frank's first ever retreat, held at a spectacular Malibu mansion overlooking the sea. This 4 day intensive is an opportunity to "make over your self," and includes inspirational seminars with Frank, daily yoga sessions, gourmet raw catered meals, and a swimming pool and private beach.
 Fees for the retreat range from $1200 to $1500. When you call to register we will give you additional details on the available accommodations.

Hi Everyone,So much to be grateful for.

Being human is a unique kind of joy, a unique kind of sadness, and pain, and ecstasy.  An old woman sat at my bar the other day, and told me she was having a bad day.  She said, "Not all days can be good days, you know."  As short as my life has been, I know this as well.  Not all days are happy days.  Some days are full of anxiety, others brim with sadness, and some seem dark but are laced with hope.  On days like these, I sometimes have trouble accepting my life as it is.  I think "If only they didn't have to go," "If only I hadn't been that way," or "Why is this happening to me?"

At times like these, I try to pay attention to the opportunity that I have.  I chose to have a human experience, and that means that I will find many challenges in my life: separation, death, and parts of myself and others that I do not like.  The tremendous opportunity that I have is to love it all, especially these things that I do not like, and to remember that each of these is a gift from the universe to make my life even more amazing.  Rumi (a 13th century Muslim Mystic and poet), muses on this in his poem Guest House:

Hi Everyone,