THANK YOU! 

Your enthusiastic response to Mom’s 10 Commandments of Health tells me that we are all looking for ways to stay healthy—and to help our kids and other loved ones form and maintain as many healthy habits as possible.

Among your responses in this first week …

I got a few suggestions for additional commandments: 
“Pizza is not a food group.”
“Remember to brush and floss.”
“Wear clean undies!”

Friends came up with ideas for expansion: Making the poster’s message into a little book or writing journal, creating a needlepoint canvas or a set of pillows, setting the words to music, even. For now I look forward to writing more columns that expand on the theme of healthy living by sharing recipes that I find, telling you about healthy tips that really work, or helping you to spark discussions on “inviting wonder into our lives” or “chasing away self-destructive thoughts.”

RICK NEASE, the artist who designed the poster, did a terrific job. I appreciate the way Rick created eye-catching images, and still managed to incorporate a lot of words on a poster that’s only 8-by-11 inches. Could it have been larger? Sure, but we heard from many people that 8-by-11 is the biggest size that will fit conveniently in appropriate spaces around the house, such as: a refrigerator door or a spot on the bathroom wall.

Rick included a series of apples in his imagery and that prompted more reader questions:
“An apple a day?”
“A reference to Adam and Eve?”

There’s a practical value in having one prominent, white apple shape in the middle of the poster: You could customize the poster with a commandment of your own.

WHAT WOULD YOU ADD?

If you like this project—please help me to share the news and develop future columns that will explore subjects that you’ll find helpful. You can do this by adding a comment, below, or by visiting my Debra Darvick’s Reading Room Facebook page, where I share more thoughts with readers on a daily basis. I’ve even got some intriguing photos on Facebook that you might enjoy!

Keep sending me your questions, suggestions and tips for more healthy commandments.

What would you write in that white apple space in the middle of your poster?