Friday, October 17, 2008

On Our 10th Wedding Anniversary


Well as you can tell from the title, today is my 10th wedding anniversary. You know the old saying that times flies. Well, I like to say that time flies period but it flies faster when you are having fun and so the past ten years have gone at light speed because it has been an absolute blast.

I do tease my wife quite a bit and say things like "Ten years? It feels like thirty!" But in reality, I wish she was the one I had met first.
So, today, my blog is dedicated to my wife, Tammy, because I want the world to know how I feel about her and what she means to me.

I LOVE YOU

I LOVE YOU WITH THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF MY SOUL.
I LOVE YOU WHEN YOU SAY SILLY THINGS THAT MAKE ME LAUGH.
I LOVE YOU WHEN WE HAVE "QT" WATCHING OUR FAVE SHOWS TOGETHER.
I LOVE YOU WHEN YOU MAKE ME APPLE CRISP.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE SMART
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE KIND.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE COMPASSIONATE.
I LOVE YOU WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING.
I LOVE YOU WHEN YOU DON'T MATCH.
I LOVE YOU WHEN YOU SNEAK PEANUT BUTTER TO THE DOG.
I LOVE YOU WHEN YOU SPEND TIME WITH MELINDA.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE CARING.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE ACCEPTING.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT.
I LOVE YOU WITH EVERY OUNCE OF ENERGY I HAVE.
I LOVE YOU WHEN YOU KISS THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
I LOVE YOU WHEN WE HAVE DATE NIGHT.
I LOVE YOU WHEN WE LAUGH AT OUR SILLY PETS.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE CARING.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE GIVING.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE PASSIONATE.
I LOVE YOU WITH ALL THE POWER OF THE UNIVERSE.
I LOVE YOU WHEN YOU ALLOW ME TO BE ME.
I LOVE YOU WHEN YOU ARE YOU.
I LOVE YOU WHEN WE TAKE WALKS TOGETHER.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE LEARNING.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE GROWING.
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE YOU.
I LOVE YOU!

HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY TO MY BEAUTIFUL BRIDE.
HERE'S TO MANY, MANY MORE.
YOU ARE WHY I DO WHAT I DO,
BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO BE PROUD TO BE MY WIFE.

LOVE YA LOTSA MUCHAS!

HARRY

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Know There Is A Way

From time to time I come across articles, stories, poems, etc, that I want to share with you because they are so inspiring, empowering, enlightening and/or uplifting. Today, this one fits all four. This comes from John McIntosh. If you would like to learn more about this beautiful soulful being named John and his spiritual writings please visit this link http://johnhmcintosh.wordpress.com/

When darkness comes and fear fills your heart, Know, there is a way.

When all your dreams come crashing down, Know, there is a way.

When friends cannot be found and there is no one to comfort you, Know, there is a way.

When you are ready to lay down and quit, Know, there is a way.

To know is to find the way.

Knowing cannot be found out there.

Knowing is found in the silence of surrender within.

The way is within.

John McIntosh ~Teach (BE) Only Love~
Copyright 2008 John & Ananda McIntosh

Now, I would like to share an excerpt from Chapter One: Know of my book; Rare Sense, One Day It Will Be Common: A Practical Guide to a Fulfilled and Balanced Life, Copyright 2008 Harry Shade.

Next, we come into knowing and when we reach this level the whole universe opens up to us. We say “Aha” a lot! Nothing is impossible. We have a total sense of peace & well being. It is quite clear who we really are, a spiritual being in human form. We now live for the moment and make a life instead of a living. We know that we are responsible for all of it. We are creating life anew, every moment of every day. We know that we make the choices that control our destiny. We are our future.

We understand the perfection of it all, how everything is interconnected,
interdependent, and inseparable. In other words it is all one within itself. There is no separation. Everything is a necessary part of the whole and that whole is God expressing itself.


As John so eloquently said, Knowing is found within. So, go within and you will find the true you and you will know, then, who you really are and that all your answers can be found there.

I will leave you with this quote:

“Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.” - Epictetus

That's all for today.

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

11 Things to Help You On Your Life Path


Yes, 11 things, not 10, not 9, but 11. I could have easily made it 10 but 11 just feels right and it is a power number for all you numerologists out there. OK, here goes.

1. Find your passion: What gives you the warm and fuzzies? What do you love to do? Several recent studies have said that upwards of 80% of people do not like what they do for a living. I would say that they either do not know what their passions is or they have not been able to find a way to turn it into a career.

Since, there are 20% of the people who are happy with their jobs more than likely they are passionate about what they do. So, if they can do it, why not you? I suggest two things, get the book "The Passion Test" by Janet and Chris Attwood and step through your fears.

2. Get healthy: Whatever you need to do or can do to be healthier, do it! Today, not tomorrow, today. You know what it is you need to do, so start doing it. No more excuses! Do it now.

3. Serve others: If you are currently doing something to be of service to others, skip to #4. If not, make the time and find a way to serve. You will get more out of it than you give, trust me I know!

4. Try something new: Get out of your boring day to day routine and try something new. It can be new food, new clothes, new hair style, anything. One way you know that you are living life to the fullest is in your experiences. When was the last time you tried something, anything new? If it took you more than 2 seconds to answer that question then it has been too long! Do you know how many different cuisines there are in the world. Tonight, get on the Internet and try a new recipe or restaurant. You'll be glad you did!

5. Get your financial house in order: This one does not require a long explanation why this is important. Finances are the one area in life that causes the most stress, fear, anxiety and relationship issues. So, do something about it and do it now.

6. Learn new stuff: You could say that this goes along with "try something new" but it is actually different. What I mean here is read some books on your career field, watch some interesting shows on the such channels as Discovery, History and National Geographic or take a continuing education course on a subject you know nothing about. It will expand your horizons, your brain cells and possibly your ability to be promoted at work.

7. Get away: Go somewhere, anywhere where you can just get away. Take some time to unwind and recharge. If money is an issue, take a day trip to a State Park or a ride through the country. Go to a festival or visit a themed area, like Amish country, here in Ohio. Whatever you do, just make time to get away! This will definitely help with #2.

8. Get your sleep: You would have to be living under a rock to not of heard about all the studies concerning lack of sleep. It is one of the biggest health issues facing us today. This negatively effects your immune system, your energy level and your ability to focus. Sleep allows you body to regenerate, heal itself and reduces stress. So make sure you are getting enough sleep.

9. Drink your milk: Milk is one of the wonders of nature. 8 ounces of skim milk provides 8 grams of protein for building lean muscle, has only 90 calories and provides many other nutrients and vitamins vital to a healthy body. It has even been shown to help with weight loss by providing everything body needs to help recover from exercise. In fact, there is a weight loss campaign called 24 in 24, 24 ounces of milk in 24 hours. Now, if you do not like skim milk, my wife calls it scared water, then 1% only has 10 calories more and all the same benefits. For those who are lactose intolerant, there are lactose free products, such as Lactaid. For you soy milk drinkers, you may find there are more calories but they also offer skim or fat free varieties.

10. Find a hobby: Doing something simply for the fun of it helps make our lives full. Whether it is scrap booking, photography, puzzles, you name it, having something that interests you and occupies your mind is a great way to spend time. This allows you to focus on other things, which provides time for your body to decompress from the day to day things. It also allows you the opportunity to go into solitude, which is highly important to your physical, mental and spiritual well being.

11. Keep a journal: Keeping a journal is a great way to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper, or perhaps typing into a computer. It allows you the opportunity to review the day and just check in with your inner self to see how things are going. In this hectic world, we often times neglect what going on inside of us, since we are so preoccupied with everything outside of us. Now, this can be a regular journal, where you put down everything and anything or more specific like a Daily Gratitude Journal. Many people I connect with say that they find it works best for them to journal at night just before they go to bed. I happen to journal throughout the day through my blog, other writing, Twitter and in a discussion group where we list at least three things we are grateful for each day. No matter how or when it is very helpful and enlightening.

I realize that I gave you things but not the how or where to look for information. Well, that's because I presume you know where to look. If you are reading this blog then you are on the Internet, start there! I am sure you will have no trouble finding things for each category.

OK, that's all for today. Once again, I know that if you start adding some of these things in your life, you will find it more balanced and fulfilling!

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Are you being of service?


Today I want to share with you a few causes or social networking sites that are cause oriented which you may want to check out. I know that being of service to one another is the highest expression of love.

As a prelude, I would like to share this excerpt from my book, "Rare Sense, One day It Will Be Common: A Practical Guide to a Fulfilled and Balanced Life". It is from Chapter 7; Serve:

"Serving others is our way of giving back all that we have received. It is our way of honoring the innate spirituality in ourselves and others. It is how we care for one another and show love and compassion. It is what brings us together when there are so many things we use to pull us apart."

There is a fantastic social networking site that has at its premise serving others. It is Care 2 Make a Difference. My personal profile page can be accessed @ http://my.care2.com/coachshade and the main page is http://www.care2.com/. There you will find groups, discussions, causes and a place to sign petitions. There is also a tab on healthy and green living. This site has attracted over 9.8 million members.

Albert Einstein was so eloquent when he said: "Only a life lived in the service of others is worth living."

Some of you may or may not know it but T.Boone Pickens, a Texas Oilman and billionaire has started a campaign to promote alternative and renewable sources of energy. He is also financing several projects with his own money. This started only a few months ago and there are already over 1.1 million people signed up to help. Go to http://www.pickensplan.com/ for more info on this worthy cause. And of course my personal page is at http://push.pickensplan.com/profile/HarryShade.

"Success means that we go to sleep at night knowing that our talents and abilities were used in a way that served others." - Marianne Williamson, Author of A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

Another social networking site when people are gathering in support of one another and to form groups that support wonderful causes is Powerful Intentions. My personal page here is http://powerfulintent.ning.com/profile/Harry39 and the home page is http://powerfulintent.ning.com/.

"Be alert to give service. What counts a great deal in life is what we do for others." - Anonymous

Now, these are just a few of the hundreds of thousands of causes and social networks that you can get involved in where you can serve others. I just wanted to get you thinking about what you can do to serve others. Whether you pick one of these, start your own or pick something else, please set aside time to be in the service of others. You will feel great and more often than not you will receive more than you give.

Marcia Weider said - "Everyday, use your magic to be of service to others."

You can order a copy of my book via Amazon.com or my website @ http://www.blogger.com/www.raresenseunlimited.com.

The audio and e-book versions are available through YouPublish @ https://www.youpublish.com/people/1810

That's all for today.

May you be blessed always and in all ways.

Harry

Monday, October 13, 2008

My 30 Year Class Reunion

Well, the Newton Falls High School Class of 1978 Reunion Weekend has come and gone and so we will get together as a class in another 5 years. This weekend spent with my friends was nothing short of fantastic. I do not know how many other classes can claim what I am about to say but we have always been a very close knit group. While a lot of classes had their cliques and rarely intermingled, we did our very best to accept everyone for who they were and just tried to support each other.

Now, I am not trying to say that our school days were lived in utopia. We teased and picked on each other. There were arguments, fights and hurt feelings, just like any dysfunctional family but family we were and you could still see it at the reunion this weekend. By looking back and reminiscing, the good times by far outweighed any bad. We even got together and sang and danced to "We Are Family". Corny, yeah, but we didn't care! We were amongst cherished friends and it just felt right!

We mingled from table to table, just like we did in the halls of the school. The atmosphere was charged with positive energy. We caught up on our lives and it seemed like yesterday that we graduated, not 30 years ago. But you see that is what happens when people who truly love each other get together. Time has a way of condensing and even standing still. Some how, we did not look or feel almost 50, we were back in high school and having a great time. The thank yous and compliments flew about how great of a weekend it turned out to be, with everyone asking us to start planning the 35 year reunion.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone of my classmates who attended our reunion. You all made it a magical time for me!

Once again, if you have the opportunity to attend a reunion, of any type, go. You'll be glad you did!

That's all for today.

May you be blessed always and in all ways.

Harry