Siegfried Says Farewell

Solomon goes on to say, “There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing. There is a right time to embrace and another time to part, a time to search and another to count your losses, a right time to hold on and another to let go.”

For me, as publisher of alive, the time has come to let go and say farewell to a multitude of faithful readers!

When the time was right–April 1, 1975–it was my privilege to launch the first Canadian journal of health and nutrition, which, by inspiration, we called alive. Thirty years later, on March 31st, 2005, I resigned my position as publisher.

In retrospect I can only agree with Solomon: those 30 years have been times of ups and downs, good times and tough times. There were times of enthusiasm and agreement, times of strife and sadness, times of joy and happiness. For myself, the 30 years with alive has been a fulfillment of my personal dreams in many different ways.

It was a tremendous time of building relationships and working as a team with people who made up what alive is today, people who were here for their own time and contribution: editors, writers, graphic artists, and support personnel in accounting, administration, and management. They all made an impact. I can truthfully say that each has left a distinct mark of fondness in my memory. For this I am very grateful and want to express my thanks to everyone who ever worked for alive.

Through alive I found great satisfaction in giving readers sound advice on nutrition and natural living for their own health and well-being. I read each and every reader letter that arrived on my desk, and each sparked a confirmation that the alive message had–and is still having–the power to change lives for the better. alive has also helped health food retailers to spread the health message and win new customers and provided a forum for manufacturers and advertisers of natural products to reach a receptive audience.

Now it’s time to pass on the baton, which I do cheerfully and gratefully. alive is not “my” magazine–it belongs to all of us who, personally and corporately, strive for wholeness and health.

I wish “our” magazine many prosperous years, success, and good health under the new editorial leadership and business management, and may it continue to have a constantly growing readership in a changing world.

I paraphrase good King Solomon again:

“Does it really make a difference what anyone does in this life? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do and decided that there’s nothing better than to be happy in one’s work, to love both God and people, to enjoy good food and drink and thereby get the most of our time on earth.