Dear Friends,

This week one of my daughters jokingly said to me,

"Hey dad. You told me that you were never going to get
old. You now walk with a limp and a cane and sometimes
get around by wheelchair and complain about the pain
in your back...you're looking like an old man to me,
but I still love you."

Our family has a funny way of showing we care, and I
laughed along with her, but his year has been one of
personal adversity and a recognition that my body
is aging. Although I still still believe that I am 18,
the reality is that I am now closer to 81. At the very
ripe olde age of 55, for the first time in my life, I
am not doing the things that I could do at age 18. I
am not playing racquetball every day as I did just a year
earlier. I am not body surfing in the ocean or taking
long walks or going to Yankee stadium or riding my ten
speed bike through the 20+ miles of park-like bike trails
in Ridgewood, NJ near my home.

Aging and adversity. They sometimes visit hand in hand,
and when they show up unexpected, it can be a physical
and emotional shock to one's system.

As we age, our bodies change. I wish that there was a
concept called "youthing" but despite the promises of
modern-day snake oils, potions, and phony vitamins
and supplements, most of us are fated to grow shorter,
get weaker, need serious dental work, deal with receding
hair lines, experience weakened cardiovascular and
skeletal systems, and very simply, grow old. Some of us
do it with grace, while others just fall apart, relying
upon pills and television to help pass the time and hide
the symptoms.

Each episode of aging is a challenge. To some, each episode
of aging becomes an adversity from which there is no recovery.

I've had my own wake-up call after a 2005 accident and subsequent
unsuccessful back surgery. Another surgery is planned to undo the
first round. So far, medical bills have exceeded $300,000.

Wanna see a magic trick? I can make money disappear.

I am getting older, but I've made the decision to die young, even
if that actual age of death becomes 80, 90, or 100. My back injury
and subsequent surgery have created a disability of sorts, but I'm
going to work my way through this first-time adversity. I predict
that you will one day see me speaking with greater vitality and
looking a whole lot healthier and fitter than the last time you
saw me.

I hope one day to be approaching recovery mode. At that time I
hope to do more than just recover from my injury. I plan on putting
a halt to my own personal bout of aging and begin to "youthsize"
myself. That means rehabbing through pain by swimming and working
out at the gym. That means taking fewer drugs to mask the
excruciating back pain. That means early to bed, early to rise,
and watching what I eat.

Of course, diet plays an enormous role in both youthing and aging.
I eat a pretty strict vegan diet, but my choice of foods can
sometimes be better. I have not been eating organic foods to the
degree that I should, and will be adding more organically grown
produce to my diet.

In this week's New York Times science section (July 17, 2007,
page 6) I read:

"People who choose organic fruits and vegetables to avoid
pesticides and other chemicals may have another reason to buy
organic. A new study finds that organically grown tomatoes
have higher levels of flavonoids, which may protect against
cardiovascular disease."

Two years ago, I wrote a guide book to vegetarianism that has
in some cases motivated meat eaters to convert. That book, "God's
Nutritionist," is based upon the writings of America's first
vegetarian, Ellen G. White. "God's Nutritionist" is available
wherever books are sold or you can order a copy by calling Lisa
at our toll-free number:

888-NOT-MILK (888-668-6455)

If I sell 20,000 copies this week, my family might even be
able to pay our gasoline credit card bills for the coming year.

"God's Nutritionist" is published by Square One Publishing, and will
soon be in its second printing. In addition to God's Nutritionist,
Square One Publishing will soon be coming out with a second book
that I've written based upon Ellen White's brilliant work found in
her Ministry of Healing. In this new book, I've taken a variety of
subjects and offered advice from Ellen White as well as words of
wisdom from a variety of famous authors, philosophers, scientists,
and statesmen which mirror her own philosophy. The new book will be
called "Food For Thought" and it is very special.

Ellen G. White wrote primers for living a vegetarian lifestyle.
She also wrote and lectured regarding living a lifestyle and
raising a family according to the laws of God and nature. Clean
air, sunshine, strong family values, plant-based diet. Education
of children. You will come away from reading "Food For Thought"
admiring Ellen White as one of the world's great philosophers.

Some passages from "Food For Thought" are appropriate to today's
column and to my own past year of aging and adversity.

Adversity

"So long as we are in the world, we shall meet with adverse
influences. Day by day and year by year we shall conquer self,
and grow into a noble heroism."

{Ellen G. White, Ministry of Healing, page 487}

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we
obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that
gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble,
that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection."

-Thomas Paine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aging

"So far as possible let those whose whitening heads and failing
steps show that they are drawing near to the grave remain among
friends and familiar associations. Let them worship among those
whom they have known and loved. Let them be cared for by loving
and tender hands." {Ellen G. White, Ministry of Healing, page 204}

"I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever.
Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow
old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin,
but to give up interest wrinkles the soul."

-Douglas MacArthur

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most people know General MacArthur by his words, "I shall return."
Those words work for me too, but I'd just as well recognize that
to give up interest "wrinkles the soul." For as long as I live,
I intend to combine that with Ellen White's "...we shall conquer
self, and grow into a noble heroism."

Robert Cohen
i4crob@...