What is Lent and How Can I Celebrate?.

Photo by amandabhslaterThis week marks the start of the Lenten season, or Lent.  This is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is to prepare through prayer, confession, giving alms, and self-denial — fasting or withholding from a vice or behavior.

Photo by bobosh_tIt is traditionally forty days long and represents the time that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends before Holy Thursday, Holy Friday, Black Saturday and Easter, commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Photo by bill barberAlthough this is one of the most important traditions on the Christian calendar, with spring fast approaching, it can be a perfect time for non-Christians to revisit their commitments to spiritual growth and meditation. Learn more about Lent here.

Tweeting Saint.

Seems the last two times we have shared a new saint, it involved some sort of gruesome death.  Both St. Denis and St. Joseph Cafasso suffered untimely deaths at the hands of those who persecuted them.  In addition to becoming a servant of God and performing a miracle, becoming a martyr — which means that you were persecuted for your beliefs and then died upholding your faith — is actually one of the criteria for becoming a saint.

Hmmm. That’s just a little (okay ALOT) depressing.

Which is why we were super excited to find a page dedicated to Happy Saints. Not just happy, but with cute little cartoons.

Our favorite? Easily it’s the saint holding the cute little Twitter bird (click here to follow us on Twitter, by the way) — St. Francis of Assisi.

“St. Francis of Assisi was a rich Italian’s son who led a carefree life. As a soldier, he was taken prisoner by enemies for a year. After his release, he heard Jesus calling him to rebuild God’s House. St. Francis sold everything and went around preaching about Jesus. He had a group of followers whom became the Franciscans. St. Francis loved all of God’s creation. He even preached to the birds! He is the patron saint of animals. His feast day is October 4.”  ~ Happy Saints

He even preached to the BIRDS! Love it.

No promises, but we’ll try our very best to leave out the beheaded and murdered saints from now on.  Focusing on happy saints is a more a positive and fun message to share!

Image Source:  Happy Saints

St. Joseph Fever?.

In today’s pop culture, the word “shrine” gets thrown around like candy — when referencing the adoration we have for famous celebrities, singers and actors alike.  With the latest release of “Never say never” — it’s easy to see how Beiberfever can be misinterpreted into some sort of misguided celebrity worship.  But, in truth, a shrine is a holy or sacred place, dedicated to a specific deity, saint, or martyr.

If you google St. Joseph “shrine” you are likely to come up with many different hits.  Some shrines are located in churches, chapels, or stand alone as a place to come and worship.

The Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains is a unique shrine built at the base of the mountains in Yarnell, Arizona — just two hours of Phoenix.  The shrine depicts several scenes, but a visit begins with at the foot of St. Joseph — a statute of him returning from work, carrying Baby Jesus and with tools still in hand.

Through his fine example of faithfulness and devotion to those in his care as head of the Holy Family in Nazareth, St. Joseph is the perfect model for all parents. The Shrine stands as an appeal to all people to promote spiritual peace, harmony and love in their own homes. Beyond the statue of St. Joseph, a beautiful rustic path beckons you to walk with Jesus through His last days on earth.  The rest of the statues in the shrine are just as beautiful, and as you walk through, it is a tranquil place for meditation and reflection.

My favorite thing about this shrine, is its reference to St. Joseph as the Patron Saint of Happy Homes.  More people should think of St. Joseph this way — and EcoJoe could find his way into all happy homes and not just homes for sale.  Not quite celebrity status, but he is after all, one of the hardest working saints!

Joseph and Mary: The Ultimate Couple.

Before Brad and Angelina, Barbie and Ken, Homer and Marge, and even before Romeo and Juliet — there was Joseph and Mary.  Maybe they aren’t the first couple that comes to mind when you’re thinking — pure romance.  But their love was blessed from the beginning by the highest authority.

Several months after Joseph and Mary were engaged, he discovered she was pregnant.  Of course Joseph assumed that she had been unfaithful to him, but his actions  afterward tell us much about his character.

He decided to protect Mary — from the “slanders of the misjudging neighbors” and spare her from the shame of divorce.  When an angel came to tell him the truth, that she was with child from the Holy Spirit, he accepted his role as humble husband and servant, and he treated Mary kindly.  She accepted his kindness and they raised Jesus together — the ultimate couple and blended family.

These honored parents shared the most romantic love with one another — faith.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Image Source:  Tennessee Gator,   Film Book, Top of Art

EcoJoe Wishes You a Happy St. Valentine’s Day!.

Photo by Shandi-leeSome people dread it, some people love it — what kind of saint would EcoJoe be if we didn’t give you the low down on the most romantic saint of all?

Did you know Saint Valentine actually refers to not one, but several martyred saints of Ancient Rome.  Saint Valentine, whose feast is celebrated on February 14th, was a holy priest in Rome and is the patron saint of young people and happy marriages.  The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priestjailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

Photo by historic.brusselsIt’s unclear and not exactly known if the noble priest had any relation at all to what we know celebrate as Valentine’s Day.  One legend ties the celebration in with the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis, a fertility celebration on February 15th.

How does a martyred priest evolve into flowers, candy, and lovey dovey greeting cards?  It’s quite a leap of faith, but then again — so is burying a certain saint in the ground to sell your home *ahem*.  In love and all things, you just have to have faith. Happy Valentines Day from EcoJoe!
Photo by Muffet

Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Si Fa Tsai!.

St. Joseph Cafasso, The Social Saint.

These days everything is about “social media” — everywhere we look we’re bombarded by social this and social that, like, follow, and join.  In the nineteenth century, there was a group of saints called “The Social Saints”.  No doubt their fan page numbers would have been through the church’s roof.

St. Joseph Cafasso was one of these “Social Saints.”  Also known as “The Priest of the Gallows, he was the apostle of the prisons and ministered to those condemned to death.  Legend has it he yanked on a prisoner’s beard until he agreed to confess to his sins.

Aren’t you glad our St. Joseph is a bit more kind in his ways?  EcoJoe would NEVER yank on your hair.  Not even for fun.

Image Source:  Catholic.org

Five Unique Jobs Stranger Than Ours.

St. Joseph as your real estate agent?  We know this is unique and definitely suggest professional help when selling your home — real estate agents and stagers are a good place to start.  But these days, as people get creative with their jobs (and job hunting), it’s good to be multi-talented and think outside of the box.

Here are a few unique (some extinct) jobs you may not have heard of:

Photo by bobfranklinTosher and Mudlark:

A tosher was someone who scavenged sewers during the Victorian period. The toshers, sometimes working in whole families would take off manhole covers and go down into the sewers, where they would find rich pickings. Mudlarks were people who would dredge the river banks when the tide was out. They would have to wade through unprocessed sewerage to find little treasures to sell.

Resurrectionist:

In Britain, the crime of snatching a body was only a misdemeanor and so was punishable by a small fine only. This led to a huge industry in body snatching in order to provide corpses to the blossoming medical schools of Europe. They were often careful not to steal anything such as jewelry or clothes as this would cause them to be liable to a felony charge.  Instead of calling them body snatchers — they were called resurrectionists.

Photo by palestrina55Coconut Safety Engineer:

On the Saint Thomas Island (Virgin Islands), in the Ritz-Carlton hotel there is the position of “coconut” safety engineer. He ensures that the falling coconuts do not disturb the rest of the hotel guests.

Photo by QXZUfologist:

As the name implies, ufologists are all about the study of UFO’s. History, recent reports, government conspiracies, it’s all included, so if the unknown is your passion this might not be a bad start.

Photo by timtakFlavorist:

Sources:  Listverse,   MyCareerRx , Ehow

A Statue that Moves You.

St. Joseph is sought as the patron saint of the home, carpenters, home sellers, and house hunters.  Whether or not you take the practice of burying his statue seriously, his statue and image remind us of his message and many put their hopeful trust in him to accomplish what miracles we pray for.

This week many celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. with ceremonies and assemblies all over the country.  He was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American Civil Rights movement.  He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of Civil Rights in the United States and around the world, using non-violent methods using the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

Like St. Joseph, and many other saints and figures, there are many statues of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Though each statue may represent different locations and maybe even different stages in Dr. King’s life, when we see them, we are reminded of his message.

Image Sources:  UTexas, Waymarking

The Legend of St Denis.

We are talking a little break from talking about Saint Joseph today. We would like to introduce you Saint Denis, who has one of the most colorful stories of becoming a saint. Denis is formally known as St. Denis of Paris.  In the 3rd century, Denis was asked to convert people throughout Gaul, a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine.  He did such a good job of converting the people that he annoyed the local pagans.  In order to stop Saint Denis from further converting all their followers, the local pagans beheaded him.

According to legend,  Saint Denis walked around the execution ground searching for his head. After he found it, he picked it up and continued preaching. Headless — he walked and preached for six miles before finally dropping dead.

And guess what he is the patron saint of?

He is the patron saint of people suffering from headaches!

St. Joseph Takes Part in the Annual Posadas Navideñas.

Photo by RobertoUrreaDecember 16th marked the start of the annual Posadas Navideñas in Mexico.

Posada is a Spanish word for “inn”, and the Posadas Navideñas, which recall events leading up to the Nativity of Jesus, are a huge Christmas tradition in Mexico. It begins with a street procession, symbolizing Mary (later to be known as Saint Mary, and her husband Joseph (our beloved St. Joe) — as they look for an inn on their way to Bethlehem.

It’s a moving, musical, parade-like celebration of the journey that the couple takes on the eve of their son’s birth.  The characters are in costume, and in some parts, even a donkey is present.  The walk through the town includes the Joseph and Mary asking for a “room at the inn”, at different stops along the way, by singing special Posada songs.  The parade of people is followed by an entourage of children and adults who join in on the songs.  To go along with the story, the couple is refused at every stop, until the end of the route.

When the couple finishes their journey, it ends at a house or sometimes a church, who finally allows the couple to stop and rest.  Here the group of people have a Christmas party and continue on with Christmas carols, a a piñata, and an evening celebration.

These parties, or Posadas begin on December 16 and continue on in different parts of Mexico up until December 24.  It is a heartwearming tradition, that brings to life the trials of Mary and Joseph.

Photo credit:  Asociacion de Mexicanos

Top Ten Reasons to Buy an EcoJoe in 2011.

Happy New Year! Thank you all for an amazing year, and we look forward to grow with you in 2011!

End of the old year and in with the new — top ten lists are a great way to summarize the things we loved, hated, do’s, and don’ts of the year past.  Looking forward to the new year, we’ve composed a list of top ten reasons to buy an EcoJoe in 2011:

1)  In case you are new to EcoJoe, we have to start our list off with the obvious:  EcoJoe is made with 100% eco-friendly material, our packaging is printed with soy based ink on recyled paper, and considers both the Catholic traditions and the environment.

2) We like to share interesting facts and stories about various spiritual holidays.   So if you are worried about missing out on the Blessing of the Animals, Mahayana New Year, or the Immaculate Conception, check out our blog and you won’t.

3) Realtors, stagers, and other home selling professionals:  Kick off your marketing campaign this year with a memorable gift/product for your clients.  EcoJoe is available for wholesale and can help brand your company by imprinting your logo on our packaging.

4) The trend-tracking website trendwatching.com says 2011 is the year for “eco-superior” products that are better for the environment.  EcoJoe is eco-friendly and will continue to be socially responsible with manufacturing practices, packaging, and green community involvement.

5) We can’t give you statistics on EcoJoe’s success rate in terms of selling homes, but we can tell you that people who buy, gift, or recommend EcoJoe are generally pretty happy.  We consider that a success, don’t you?  Check out our Facebook page for proof.

6)  Predictions for 2011’s housing market include sellers being more aggressive about selling their homes.   This will include thinking outside of the box — and making sure your selling team includes not just a good realtor but an experienced stager and a trusty EcoJoe.

7) EcoJoe is a member of 1% for the Planet, 1+% of our annual proceeds go to charities.  One percent for the planet connects members of the business community to environmental groups around the world and helps to “Keep Earth in Business.”

EcoJoe fits in your pocket.  Some people carry a rabbit’s foot on a keychain, horseshoe pendant around their neck, have lucky pens, lucky shirts, etc.  EcoJoe fits in your pocket if you think he is too cute to bury in the ground.

9) EcoJoe has gotten some amazing press in 2010, including mentions of General Manager and owner Cindy Lin in the WSJ and product feature in YakAboutIt, Entrepreneur Magazine, CBS 5 San Francisco bay area news, and various other media outlets.  In 2011, EcoJoe will continue to expand it’s business and market presence.  Be apart of the buzz by owning an EcoJoe today.

10) Twitter gained more than 100 million registered members in 2010  .  Facebook has over 500 million  users.  While new businesses are jumping on the bandwagon — engaging, updating, and clamoring to be relevant — it’s easy to get lost in the mix.  EcoJoe was launched exclusively on social media and has integrated social media with its’ website since inception.  While 2011 looks to be the year that other business will integrate social media into their marketing campaigns, EcoJoe will continue to be a pioneer in utilizing social media to connect with people.  Follow, Like, and Subscribe to join our community!