I believe in fate. But I also believe in paddling my own canoe and setting my own course.

I believe it does takes a village to raise a healthy child. But I also believe it takes a village to create a healthy planet, help those who need it most and prepare a delicious feast.

I believe we do get by with a little help from our friends. But I also believe that sometimes, our best work is done alone.

I believe we can judge others’ goodness and character by how they treat all God’s creatures, especially the least and most vulnerable among us.

I believe we need good food and drink to nourish, inspire and delight us, and time spent feeding others is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other.

I believe our village is crowded with seemingly ordinary villagers who possess extraordinary talents.

Let’s go find them.

And don’t forget to stop and eat along the way.

Doni Greenberg is an award-winning journalist who lives with her husband Bruce, a fine-furniture craftsman, in the very tiny town of Igo, California.

She is an identical twin. Doni also has three grown children. Her daughter and son live in California, and their younger brother lives in the Czech Republic.

For a decade Doni was a popular opinion columnist and food writer for the Record Searchlight in Redding, California. There, her writing excellence was recognized by the Associated Press, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and E.W. Scripps.

In 2007 Doni received the Woman of Achievement Community Award from the American Association of University Women.