One hundred years ago, in 1913 my great grandparents Mr. and Mrs Leendert Luteyn traveled as 3rd class citizens from the Netherlands on a boat to America in search of a better life. My grandparents couldn’t speak or read the English language. They had six children when they left and went on to have six more when they settled as celery farmers in Kalamazoo. My grandfather was the 11th out of the 12 children they had. All of the children were put to work on the farm.

Life was not easy. My grandfather farmed the muck fields, smoking at the age of five (no kidding) to keep mosquitos and knats away. He barely attended school and as soon as he was able he joined the navy to escape farm life.  He went on to marry my grandmother Annabelle and had seven of his own children living in a small home in Comstock. He worked seven days a week in a factory and loved his children very much. I never met my grandfather as he died of a heart attack at the age of 43 while playing basketball. He left behind seven children ages five to 19.

In 100 years, my lineage went from lack of resources in 1913 to today with me – a life of abundance and excess.  I have everything I could ever need and want. As I often preach, discuss and contemplate ways to live a more balanced life – I am pretty sure my great grandparents and grandparents never sat down to dinner to say “honey lets think about how we can lived a more balanced life.” During their time it was about surviving and thriving. It was not about having bigger TV’s, more food, a bigger house, a better phone, or a newer car.

It is my hope we don’t forget in a short time where we have come from. It is my hope we take moments to appreciate our warm beds, our safe and nourishing food, the shelter that keeps us dry, our cars that allow us to travel, and our phones that let us communicate.  It is my hope we move from excess and shift to focus on what we really need and live more simply.

I do not believe excess makes us happier. Excess causes me to be frustrated and overwhelmed. I am most fulfilled when I am surrounded by simple comforts and joy- a warm bath, a clean and neatly set table for dinner, my kids in comfy jammies, and a nourishing meal. May you think about and do what you can to live a fulfilling, grateful, balanced and happy life!

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Spirit of Women is a great way for women to stay connected to their health and a means for community resources to gain a healthier lifestyle. Spirit can mean many different things to many people. When I hear the word spirit I think of holism in health, I believe our spirit is one of the keys to having a balanced lifestyle in the connection of mind and body.  When we think of someone who is spirited we may think of them as joyous, full of energy, enthusiastic, or even maybe having a positive outlook on life.

As women we may ask ourselves how can we regain that spirit? I believe it starts with our health, how are we suppose to live spirited day to day if our mind and body are not well. If one is out of whack it throws off the whole system! Regaining your spirit or spiritual side can mean many things. Maybe it means seeking care for a health issue, like back pain that is hindering your energy and liveliness. Maybe it means becoming reconnected with your inner self through reflection. It could mean building connections with a network of other spirited women. Or maybe it means connecting with God through prayer or meditation.  If you find yourself lacking spirit, I challenge you to search yourself for the cause and find a means to rebalance your life, because all women deserve to live a wholesome life!

Submitted by:  Ashlyn Childs

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A spirited woman is one who is vivacious, excitable, brave, and lives life passionately. Every day presents itself as a gift, and an opportunity to experience something new. The spirit of women is a collective spirit that has a drive to create strength through self- respect and self-love.  The Spirit of Women in Allegan is here to represent and encourage that collective spirit.  The way Spirit of Women encourages is by motivating all women to create positive change in their lives. These positive changes help create a healthy mind, body, and spirit. The activities that are offered enhance self-respect as well as giving the community new experiences; leading to women being even stronger and proud.

Submitted by:  Kelsey Barnes

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When I think of what Spirit of Women means to me, the embodiment of community, support, health, and self- love come to mind.  I see Spirit of Women as an outreach program that changes lives and empowers people, not just women, to take control of their health in order to live a more productive, fulfilling life. 

I have seen first -hand how this program changes lives and it gives me goose bumps to think about it.  Spirit of Women provides enrichment programs such as heart and cholesterol screenings that are free to the community.  This means that anyone, young or old, can be screened and find out if they are at risk for cardiovascular disease or even diabetes.  It is during one of these screenings that a life was saved.  

I enjoy going on to the Spirit of Women website and finding programs that are of interest to me.  There are many to pick from and I love that this program focuses on topics related to women of all ages.  Not just topics that are popular at this moment but topics that women want to address but don’t know how or may be embarrassed to discuss.  Spirit of Women provides a forum that women feel comfortable to discuss what’s on their minds and in their hearts.

Submitted by:  Shawn Fields, RN, Allegan General Hospital

Ingredients
4, 5 – 6 ounce fresh or frozen halibut steaks or fillets or sea bass or salmon fillets, about 1″ thick
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup garlic croutons, coarsely crushed
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Olive oil (optional)
Lemon or orange wedges (optional)
Finely shredded orange peel (optional)
Fresh sage leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Thaw fish if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels.
2. For blueberry-pepper jam: In a medium bowl, use a potato masher or fork to mash 3/4 cup blueberries. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup blueberries, 1 teaspoon sage, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
3. In a small bowl, combine crushed croutons, 1/4 cup sage, 1 teaspoon orange peel, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add orange juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil, stirring until lightly moistened; set aside.
4. Lightly grease the rack of a grill. For a charcoal grill, place fish, skin sides up; if using fillets, place on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 5 minutes. Turn fish; top fish evenly with crouton mixture, gently pressing onto fish. Grill for 7 to 10 minutes more or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place fish on greased grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)
5. To serve, place fish on a serving platter. Serve with blueberry-pepper jam. If desired, drizzle fish with additional olive oil. If desired, garnish with lemon wedges, additional orange peel, and sage leaves.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories: 222
Fat: 7 g
Sodium: 101 mg
Protein: 30 g
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Fiber: 1 g

Recipe provided by AGH’s WellnessWorks program.

For over five years, I have had the great pleasure of running the Spirit of Women program here at Allegan General Hospital.  It is my job to create events and programs to inspire women and their families in the community to be healthy.  My greatest goal and challenge with the program is to inspire women to ACT on their health.  How do I touch a person’s spirit and empower them to make healthy changes in their life?  So often we know what is needed, have the information, know the steps we need to take- yet stay stuck in our same routines.

What defines the spirit of a woman?  What drives us to make change?  What keeps us doing the same thing?  What makes us soar?  What makes us feel alive?  What makes us sad?  What makes us fearful?  The answer to all of these questions is …..our spirit!

When searched in Google on the web – spirit is defined as the nonphysical part of a person that is the seat of emotions and character; the soul.  And how does our spirit become the way it is? Our upbringings, our relationships, our values, our self-esteem, and our perspectives all influence our spirit.  In the end, our perspective or the way we look at things wins out and holds the most influence.  People with the most horrific upbringings can look at things different and go on to have amazing happy lives.  I have seen time and time again those on dangerous or unhealthy paths turn things around all by changing the way they think.  How do they do it?  How do they make the decision to ACT positively to influence their spiritual, emotional and physical health?

On a daily basis we have a chattering mind.  Mine goes non-stop. “I can’t forget the kid’s lunch,” “Did I pay this month’s phone bill?” “Yuck I look so fat today,” “Oh I just sounded stupid- I can’t believe I said that” and on and on.  There is never any silence.  And we seem to trust our minds as the all-knowing-truth. So often though, we are our own worst critic.  Our minds often cause us to have anxiety, panic, keep us up at night, and it often stops us from meeting our potential.  Many times our thoughts are negative, sometimes positive, and many of the times it changes its mind.  Just by a change in perspective, I can go from loving my day to thinking the day has turned for the worst or vice versa.

I am currently reading a book called “The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Itself.”  It emphasizes quieting the mind and seeing thoughts as just those…thoughts!  What if we were able to free ourselves from our thoughts?  How much of our thoughts are really true anyway? What if I was having negative thoughts and I could say “Oh Jenny, you’re having negative thoughts- let it pass – it isn’t true anyway.”  I wouldn’t tolerate a friend speaking rudely to me – why would I let my thoughts hijack my happiness?

The non-stop voice talking inside of us will never be content. It will always have a problem with something. We can’t find solutions or start to make change if we are always lost in the problems we are working out in our heads. Until we are free of the part within each of us that is working out all of these constant problems all we will see is obstacles, challenges, and roadblocks.  How exhausting?  If we can just get past ourselves our spirits are limitless….let’s get out of the way! Free your spirit and be your potential….

I want to close with one of the most inspiring quotes I have ever read by Kathleen Passinisi. Kathleen Passanisi is a national speaker, who spoke at one our Spirit of Women events back in 2011  and will be back again on May 8 to deliver the presentation – Spark- Moving from Stuck to Superb. I will never forget when she was quoted as saying the following:

“How you choose to see things, affects how you think.

Thoughts produce feelings. Feelings direct behavior.

When you consciously change your behavior, you get a better result.

Isn’t that what enlightenment and personal growth are all about”?

 Kathleen Passanisi

This screening includes cholesterol, weight, blood sugar, waist measurement, and blood pressure.  Our HeartCaring Specialist will review your results and answer any questions you may have.  Fasting is recommended for the July 18th screening.

PAD Screening

Did you know that one in every 20 Americans over the age of 50 has Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)?  PAD is a condition that raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.  This 30-minute screening is for individuals 50 and older.

“The number one way for people to stop cardiovascular disease is prevention,” said Jennifer Dentler, Spirit of Women Coordinator at Allegan General Hospital.  “We encourage both men and women to take advantage of this free screening to understand what their risks are.  Many risk factors are controllable and only you have the power to positively impact them.  Our goal is to share these risk factors and help individuals learn what they can do to prevent a heart attack or stroke.  We want our community to be both heart healthy and heart smart.”

The heart and stroke screening will be offered from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  The screening will take place in Allegan General Hospital’s Jenner Building, Suite 1 (545 Jenner Dr., Allegan).

Space is limited and appointments are required.  Individuals interested in taking advantage of the screening are asked to call AGH’s Community Events Line at (269) 686-4231 to schedule an appointment.  This free screening is being offered in partnership with Borgess.

Ingredients
2 cups fat-free milk
1 – 4 serving size package of fat-free sugar-free reduced-calorie vanilla instant
pudding mix
2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 – 8 oz. package reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
3 cups assorted citrus fruit sections (such as blood oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, and/or navel oranges)
1/2 – 8 oz. angel food cake, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
Sliced kumquats and/or fresh mint sprigs (optional)

Directions
1.  In a medium bowl combine milk and pudding mix; beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. Beat in the orange peel and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Set aside. In a large bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add pudding mixture, beating until combined.

2. Divide half of the fruit among ten 6-ounce dessert glasses or dishes. (Or arrange half of the fruit in a 1-1/2-quart glass bowl.) Arrange half of the cake cubes on the fruit. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the remaining orange juice. Spoon half of the pudding mixture over cake. Repeat layers. Cover and chill for 2 hours before serving. If desired, garnish individual servings with sliced kumquats and/or fresh mint sprigs.

Makes: 10 servings (serving size = 3/4 cup)

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 10
Calories: 112
Fat: 3 g
Protein: 4 g
Carbohydrates:  17 g

Recipe provided by AGH’s WellnessWorks program