December Newsletter 2025: “Celebrate”

December is certainly a time of celebration! Some choose to celebrate on their own, taking personal time off to honor things in their lives, giving themselves permission to be off from their full busy lives and celebrate in a quiet way. Others throw parties and attend party left and right, sometimes feeling a bit overwhelmed to fit it all in! Whichever way is best for you, it is a sweet time to contemplate what you truly want to celebrate in your life and how you want to celebrate it. What are the significant things in your life you would like to acknowledge in a special way and how would you like to do that?

For me personally I take extra days off during the end of the year and the beginning of the new year to celebrate the people and things I sometimes am too rushed to appreciate and honor, including myself. I give myself extra time for being in nature, self-care and crafting for family and friends which I love. We also have our annual solstice celebration where my West African Fusion band Jamarek has played for many years! It’s a time for community, music, dancing, laughter and prayer! This year we have two bands and it’s a Vital Living fundraiser for our newest community program Tenadye, empowering the youth of Liberia by building a resilient and self-sustaining community there. Join us on the 20^th to celebrate, dance wild and free, shake off the old and be ready to embrace the rest and stillness of the darkness (the longest night of the year), before the “rebirth” of the sun and the beginning of a new wondrous cycle!

Solstice is a precious time for acknowledging and honoring nature’s cycles and transitions. The Winter Solstice symbolizes many things, although primarily reflection, rest and renewal, a time to connect deeply with nature, our loved ones and our inner light. Transitions can be challenging, things ending and other things beginning, a time of letting go of what no longer serves us, and a time to prepare for new growth with the coming of new light. Please consider taking this challenge on if you can, it will bring many wonders!  What new seeds or intentions do you want to plant?

For those of us following the Chinese horoscope we are moving from the Snake to the Horse, two very different animals! We’ll visit this more in January, though just glancing ahead, we’ll be moving from shedding “old skin” or old beliefs and habits that no longer serve us, to putting what is truly important to us first. If we’ve spent the last year slithering around transforming our internal world, the time is coming to really move that energy outward to transform our external world, galloping towards joy and our heart’s true purpose! Wow! 2026 here we come!!

This is a new program brought to our attention by Kahnma herself and rooted in her heart as it is dedicated to empowering vulnerable youth of Liberia, her homeland.

You can learn more about it bellow at the end of email or visit https://www.timeisnowliberia.com/

Please come us for a night of music and dancing and join us in supporting TENADYE.

Sat Dec 20th 7- 10pm

featuring 

The KAHNMA Experience

and

JAMAREK 

$20 Donation per adult is requested and more is sincerely appreciated!  

note: 10% of donations will be used to help cover costs of the sound and production.

ATTENTION:  Trying something new here …  If you want to reserve a parking spot on the farm you need to make a reservation and give your donation in advance. Just respond to this email and I will send you details.

If you don’t need on site parking then no reservation is required but an RSVP would be great.  If you need directions or you have questions just respond to this email or contact Tunji at babatunji@gmail.com or (808)636-1285.

Not familiar with the bands?   Check out:

Kahnma on Spotify or visit https://www.kahnma.com/

Jamarek music online:  https://jamarek.bandcamp.com/releases

Program Overview:
Under the umbrella of Living Vital 501(c)(3)

The Tenadye: Time is Now initiative is a community-rooted program dedicated to empowering vulnerable youth in Duanwein Village, Liberia. Guided by a deep respect for the earth and the belief in the dignity and potential of every child, Tenadye blends education, sustainable agriculture, eco-conscious construction, and entrepreneurship into a living model of self-sufficiency and purpose.

At the heart of the program is the vision to build an eco-friendly school and agricultural hub that not only nurtures young minds but also strengthens the spirit of the community. Students engage in meaningful learning rooted in the land—constructing classrooms from Compressed Earth Stabilized Bricks, cultivating organic crops, raising livestock, and using solar-powered energy systems. Each element is designed to promote harmony with the environment while imparting life-sustaining skills.

Inspired by the natural rhythms of the earth and a shared responsibility to one another, the program integrates holistic practices such as Korean Natural Farming, hands-on vocational training, and technology access through Starlink internet. These efforts empower youth to become leaders, creators, and caretakers—of their own futures and of the community that raises them.

Access to clean water, healthy food, and opportunities for self-expression through sports and the arts are central to the program’s mission. In honoring the gifts of the land and the strength of collective action, Tenadye becomes more than a school—it becomes a sanctuary of growth, healing, and hope.

Supporters are invited to join this transformative journey by contributing resources, skills, or funding. Together, we can build a legacy of sustainability and spiritual resilience—where education is rooted in the soil, and the future grows from the ground up.