By Megan O’Connor
There is something magical about the Mini Conference and the tributes to Michio, and until today, I could not put my finger on what it is. Mainly, it is the honesty and love that the presenters expressed as they shared their stories, life and experiences. I’m just amazed.
It reminded me of the love and honesty of my family, of my teacher Ed Esko, and a different time, the one I grew up in (the 60’s). I laughed and cried a lot for many different reasons.
While I did not know Michio, my uncle George Bradly and my aunt did. They attended classes and talks by Michio (and probably others) in West Philadelphia back in the day. My family was skeptical of the information they shared with the family at first. My mother loved to cook, but TV dinners from a tin plate were common because of her work. However, with time, she came to see the wisdom of the teachings, eating whole grains, unprocessed and natural organic foods, and changed forever. My parents were divorced, and even my father became a vegetarian for many, many years.
My uncle Brad passed away peacefully last year, in his sleep, disease-free at the age of 93. While I didn’t know Michio directly, his teachings did reach my family and me. Given diet and spiritual changes in 2000, my natural immunity was strong enough to develop antibodies to relieve Hepatitis C. Again in 2015, I had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis that came about suddenly (yes, I used to eat a lot of fried chicken), but by changing my diet, I have not had any problems since. This thing called macrobiotics is magical and practical, simple and profoundly deep.Â
Megan O’Connor is a plant-based macrobiotic educator & writer in Florida.