The day that was named Christmas

It was December , the 24th , normally the main Christmas holiday for RATON and 
his family . Normally that would mean lots of delicious food , many gifts , 
lovely shiny decoration and lots of not funny jokes . 

This year for sure was a gruesome one. It was cold and grey , and the wind blew 
strong over the giant patio , knocking everything in it's path down. Flowers 
pots, pillows, little decorative wooden houses and plants were thrown through 
the air like they weigh nothing . Even the bamboo chime which normally never 
moved , was making noises, which  meant that it was very, very stormy.  

The weather didn't add  to the already somber atmosphere at home . Dad's health 
had worsened actually , he almost couldn't speak any longer, and became more and 
more frustrated with his situation . The stubborn bull was turning weak and un 
coordinated totally depending on any helping hand that was available , moaning 
in pain and agony. It was really time to go it seemed, but for some reason , he 
wouldn't let go . He simply wouldn't die , simply because he wanted to live . 
That's at least  what RATON thought . 

His mother continued running around trying to make dads life as nice as possible 
. She was visibly shaken by all the current incidents, an emotional roller 
coaster , of which she had to carry the heaviest burden . It was hard to watch , 
especially because she didn't get much back in return. Yes, she was driving 
around in her fancy car , wearing a mink coat and expensive shoes , living in a 
big house , but love and kind compassion , the one thing she really was hoping 
for was not available to her at this point . It had never changed for 50 years. 
Dad simply was not able to give her what he wanted deep inside of her heart, but 
had accepted it a long time ago that this is how her life would pan out . Not 
bad, she was grateful , but there was always this little hope in her eyes, 
hoping for dad would soften and to say how much he loved her. 

by RATON (c) 

meet Nira

Meet author, entrepreneur, organic chef and owner of Organic African Red Tea 
Imports , Nira Levy-Maslin, for a fascinating and inspiring story on how she 
co-founded her company and developed her product. 

From a single tea bag to a global recognized brand , Nira is now celebrating 
over 13 years of knowledge of organic African herbs and continues passionately 
to educate people about the benefits of Rooibos from South Africa. 

Since the starting days many things have changed and she elegantly adjusted to 
the global market climate , the shift to booming online sales and the growth of 
a brand , that snowballed into an international organic sensation. 

From working from home off her kitchen table , to welcoming guests at her retail 
space on Fairfax Ave , to now being the online shop to buy Rooibos tea from , 
the journey has been long and satisfying . 

She is a published author and public speaker , teaches cooking seminars and 
continues to develop all organic products to add to her Rooibos Tea collection , 
educating and making new friends one tea bag at a time. 

Rooibos Red Tea is her passion. Get a taste of her world by trying out one of 
her recipes. Click here for her delicious Banana Spice Bread recipe and Red Bush 
Tea-Rhubarb Gelee. 

Nira Maslin can be reached in Los Angeles at ARTSHOP . Please email 
info@ARTSHOP-USA.com

By RATON (c)