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

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

Reunions

Tonight is the beginning of my 30 year High School Class Reunion Weekend. I am so looking forward to getting together with my classmates, many of whom I have not seen in 20 years or more. I love our class reunions because it takes me back to a time of my life that I so thoroughly enjoyed. It is where it all began for me and my friends from school had such a profound impact on my life.

Growing up in a small town like Newton Falls, Ohio, afforded me so many opportunities to grow and learn. Now, my hometown is not the hotbed of diversity but it is where I was taught honesty, ethics, dedication, commitment, the value of work, the value of a dollar, friendship and so much more. The people of Newton Falls embody the heart of soul of the Midwest, where family, God and country are most important. Where friendships last for decades and neighbors look out for one another. Where children are taught to respect their elders and education is highly valued.

I am still very close to several of my classmates today, three of which I have been some of my best friends for 43 years now. My classmates and I supported each other through our childhood. We learned the multiplication tables together. We took on the challenges of puberty together. And we were there for each other during good times as well as bad times. We survived divorces, deaths, sicknesses, heartache and grief together. We celebrated graduations, weddings, births and successes together. And now we come together to celebrate our lives and the roles we played in each of them, one more time together.

Some look upon reunions as a time to see how old we have become. I for one look at them as a celebration of life and everything it has brought us.

So, this weekend, I go home, once more to celebrate with the people who have meant so much to me. We will laugh, we may cry, but we will have fun! If you are having a reunion coming up, for whatever purposes, I urge you to go. You may just have fun and will get to reconnect with those that have had an impact on your life!

"Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven." - Tyron Edwards

That's all for today. I have reunion to get to!

May you be blessed always and in all ways.

Harry

I can! I can't!

Can't, one of the most destructive words in the English language. All uttering that word does is keep you from accomplishing anything. Like any thought, the moment you even think it, you set into motion; physical, emotional and spiritual energies that will give you just that, can't.

"If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford

My Mom (Eleanor Shade) created the following with the lines I can and I can't:

I CAN...I can advance naturally. Basically you are saying that you have faith and are allowing yourself to move along with the cosmic flow of the universe, with grace and ease. It is a statement born of strength and courage.

I CAN'T... I cannot advance naturally today. You are fighting against the current, which is a waste of both time and energy. You are getting nowhere fast and have no hope of advancing. This is a statement born of fear and insecurity.

”Those who say something can't be done should not interrupt those doing it.” - Unknown

So, if you want to advance naturally banish can't from your vocabulary today!

There short and sweet but food for thought. That's all for today.

May you all be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Helicopter Parents; Why You do Not Want to be One.

"The object of teaching a child is to enable them to get along without their teacher." — Elbert Hubbard

I just recently read an article about "helicopter parents". They are the parents that cannot seem to let go and allow their children to grow up.

I am the father of an 18 year old college student and at her graduation party I kept getting questioned about how I felt about her graduating and moving on. My answer was, "Ecstatic" and then because I got some interesting looks, I went on to explain that I was looking forward to both Melinda and I starting new chapters in our lives. And yes, I would miss her but this was inevitable.

At least, it is supposed to be. Not for "helicopter" parents. For them, it seems, they feel that they need to protect their children well past the age of 18. Some, even into real adulthood, when their children are in their 30's. They attempt to negotiate salaries for them, they advocate for them with their college, landlord, electric company, you name it. They smother their children and then wonder why at age 40, their children are depressed, divorced, not able to handle the consequences of life and moving back in.

It is not only our jobs as parents but our duty to society to raise our children to be independent, productive citizens. It does no one any good when we refuse to cut the purse strings, kick them out of the nest and simply let go.

If you have done your job to the best of your ability then you will more than likely raise a happy, healthy, fully functioning adult. Sure we will always be parents, we will all be needed for advice or to watch the kids, etc. What we don't want to be is a crutch!

Parenting is not easy, I know, and after hearing some really bad stories, I had it better than some. Even though I am divorced from her Mom, I was blessed to remarry a woman who not only loves me but was really another parent to our daughter.

Ok, so how do you keep from becoming a "helicopter" parent?

Here is some advice:

1. They are gonna grow up! You need to realize that right now. No matter what you do and no matter how you parent, they are going to grow up and there is nothing you can do about it. I know this may sound a little silly and you may even be saying, tell me something I don't know. You really need to hear this. One day that new baby will come home from the hospital and it seems like the next time you turn around they are asking for the car keys. It all happens in the blink of an eye and you will be left wondering where 18 years went.

"We've had bad luck with our kids - they've all grown up." ~Christopher Morley

2. Be there! Be there when they start walking. Be there when they learn to ride a bike. Be there on the first day of school. Be there to teach them how to throw a ball. Be there for the first school dance. Be there to take them trick or treating. Be there when they breakup for the first time. Just be there and be involved. Besides the more that you are with them while they are growing up, the more you will be ready for them to go. I am really not trying to be funny here. I mean it you will be ready! Yes, I know you need to earn a living but why not have a life. No amount of money can replace your presence. You may be thinking you are doing it for them, when you work those 60 hour weeks but you are really doing them and yourself a disservice. For more convincing please refer back to paragraph one!

"Your children need your presence more than your presents." ~Jesse Jackson

3. Teach them responsibility! If you teach your kids to be responsible then you will not feel the need do everything for them when they become adults. Responsible children become responsible adults and responsible citizens. Have an age appropriate chore list. When my daughter was between the ages of five and ten, we had a list on the refrigerator that she placed stickers on when she completed them and the chores were things like; brush you teeth, make you bed, etc. Every sticker was worth a small amount of money and every thing she did not do, got money subtracted. As she got older, the chores become more involved, like help with dinner, run the sweeper, etc. She was still rewarded for what she did accomplish and got things deducted for what she didn't. Now, as she got older, especially in her teenage years, the list went away but the expectations did not. Did she always do her chores, of course not, but it instilled work ethic and responsibility in her. How did I know? I would hear it from her teachers and supervisors at work about how responsible she was and what a great work ethic she has. Don't expect that to show up at home but it is nice to hear.

"Patience is the companion of wisdom." — St. Augustine

4. Communicate with them! Talk with them about both the fun things and the serious things. Was it fun having "the talk" with my daughter? No, I was apprehensive to say the least but I knew it was important that she knew how I felt about it. Of course like anything else, keep the topics age appropriate, but talk. My daughter has often told me that she really enjoyed the days when I took her to and from school because we had some really good conversations. Don't shy away from the tough stuff, that's when they need you the most. My daughter and I have talked about religion, spirituality, race, drugs, sex, life, death, Santa Clause, sports and relationships. The older she got the more serious some of the conversations became. You know I often learned things from her and that's really cool.

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." ~ Angela Schwindt

5. Discipline them! Do I believe you should spank your kids? I believe that is an individual choice, so I really have no other opinion than that but I will say that there has to be some kind of discipline. Otherwise how does a child learn boundaries, to follow the rules and that there are consequences to the choices they make. The key here is to try and remember that you are disciplining the act not the child. I always did my best to explain to her what she did and why it was not a good choice. Did I ever lose my temper? Am I human? Yes, especially when she was in her late teens and was more obstinate. I will tell you however, if you can develop the daddy look, then things can go alot smoothly. Most of the time all I had to do was give her the look and she knew she was in trouble. It sometimes still works today! The other big things are be consistent and do not stay upset for very long. Unless it involves taking another life, there is really nothing that they can do that cannot be fixed. My daughter knows there are consequences to her actions because she was taught that at home, where it should be taught.

"Many parents are finding out that a pat on the back helps develop character - if given often enough, early enough, and low enough." - Author Unknown

6. Do not live vicariously through them! You had your shot at childhood, it's over, so get on with it. One of the worse things you can do is try and force your children into some idea of what you think their life should be. This will surely lead you on the road to being a serious "helicopter" parent. Encourage your children to try new things and yes you can encourage them to try the things you did as a child but that should be it, just encourage. My daughter tried gymnastics, band and swimming. She settled on basketball, track and cross country and was involved in several other school activities. It just so happened that I played basketball and ran track but I told her over and over again that she did not even have to play sports, I just wanted her to do things she liked to do. And she knew that I meant it. Then when she decided on those sports, I gave her tips and suggestions how she could get better. I coached her for a few years in basketball but I never pushed her. I let her decide how hard she wanted to work and how much time she wanted to put into it. But, once again I was there for her. I attended the meets and games. I helped pay for camps and gear and I always encouraged her. So, no matter what your children want to try, encourage them and be there for them but do not force them to do something they do not want to do on their own.

"A child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer." ~ Author Unknown

7. Things are gonna change! Recognize that as your child gets older things are gonna change and you are going to have to face some changes yourself. They are gonna get a license. They are gonna drive by themselves. They might get a job. And you are gonna be concerned. That's natural, that's life! If you taught them responsibility and were there for them growing up then that is all that you can do. Sure, it can be scary when they start doing things on their own but it is the only way for them to test the waters of freedom before they jump ship. You also have to recognize that you have changed too. You are also older and hopefully wiser but you were also once their age and need to recall how you felt at that age. That will keep things in perspective for you.

"Children are one third of our population and all of our future." ~Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

8. Have something else to do! I know I have said to be there for them but you also have to make time for things you like to do. You know grown up things like golfing, gardening, working out and watching soap operas and sports. As they grow older and you are needed less and less (yes, that will happen, after all if you are doing it right, that is the natural progression of things) you need to make sure that you have something else to do. Do not, I repeat, do not make them your whole life. That my friend is a recipe for disaster. That way when they strike out on their own you will not have this huge empty void. You will miss them but you will be free to pursue your own interests. Where many go wrong here is they have nothing else to occupy their time and then wonder what they are going to do. They are lost and then try to help the kids. cCn you hear the sound? Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Sounds like a helicopter parent swooping in to the rescue.

"To an adolescent, there is nothing in the world more embarrassing than a parent." - Dave Barry

9. Work on letting go! I would not suggest that you do this letting go thing cold turkey. Ease into it. Try it on and see how it feels. I think my daughter was about sixteen and a half, a few months after she got her license, when I sat her down and told her that starting then I was going to slowly progress into advisory mode. On things that I felt she was responsible and mature enough to handle I would be giving advice and not telling her what to do. I had her make her own decisions on those things. So, the older she got, the more I advised. Now that she is 18, I am totally in advisory mode. It is kinda cool because the pressure of making decisions and living with the consequences has gone to her. And less stress is what we are all looking for, right? You see, since I taught her responsibility and provided love, advice, knowledge and discipline, I was confident that she could handle things on her own.

"Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it." ~Haim Ginott

10. You will always be a parent! Now, don't get me wrong, they may leave but you will always be a parent. You will always be needed for advice, directions, recipes, moving labor, etc. Your role does not end when they venture on to bigger and better things. But you really do not want them coming back to live with you. You have moved on and are enjoying your new life without children. Of course, there may be grandchildren in your future but that is a whole different role entirely. No, you will be needed from time to time. It will not be as often or even maybe as intense but the time will come when that phone will ring and you will be called to action once again. Of course if you have followed my advice, then you will be relaxed and almost stress free as a parent, since you know that you raised a competent, responsible and mature adult!

"It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't." ~Barbara Kingsolver

That's all for today!

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Keeping the faith in the midst of a crisis.

How does one keep the faith during times like these? Who do we turn to? Where can we find answers?

Especially when all you hear is:

The economy is failing, terrorists want to kill us, people are starving, Mother Nature is exacting her revenge with hurricanes, mudslides and wildfires, gas prices are skyrocketing and on and on.

Well, if you have faith, then you know exactly where you can find answers and who you can turn to. Of course that is determined by what you believe in. If you are a Christian then of course you turn to God or Jesus. If you are Muslim, it is Allah. Native Americans pray to the Great Spirit and so on and so forth.

"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith." - Henry Ward Beecher

As a Spiritualist, I do what I do everyday. I talk to the Creator, Universe, God, whatever you would like to call him/her. I also look inside myself for the answers, for God resides there too. I know who I am, what I am capable of and what to do to fulfill my needs.

Here are some tips on how to get through this time with your faith intact:

1. Know that it will be alright. As I say in my book, Rare Sense, One Day It Will Be Common, we go through three stages on the path to having rare sense and they are Hope, Belief and Knowing. I know that things will get better because I do have Faith that the Universe provides everything I need and in abundance. I also know that if I am lacking anything that it is of my own creation and only I can change the situation. So, if I ever fall back I just have to think of all the times in my life when things were not going so well and remember what I did to change it and then I change it.

2. Don't worry or be fearful. Where has worry ever gotten anyone in their life? Nowhere, except to raise your stress and block you creative thought process. And how many times have you worried over something and it never came to pass. Usually all of the time. So, clear you mind of worry so you can create a solution to your challenges. I know, you are going to say easier said then done, well not really, once again it is a mind set. It is how you think about things and if you know that worry has never gotten anyone anywhere that is productive and positive, then why do it? Only you can change how you see and think about things, so it is up to you to use your power.

3. Show gratitude. There is always something we can be grateful for, always. When you give thanks for what you have now, you are living in the present moment and creating the opportunities for the future. If you really look at things, especially here in the US, we are way better off than hundreds of millions of people around the world, many of whom have little to nothing to eat, no safe drinking water, no medical care or are living in a war zone. Yes, I know there are people in the US who are in similar predicaments but they at least have the opportunity to seek help and get themselves out of it. They have choices that those other people around the world do not have. So be thankful for the good things you do have and you will find solutions through the Universe for the things you need.

4. Take action. If you lost your job, then look for another one. If you need food, seek help. If you need money, find a way, hopefully legally, to earn some. But whatever you do, take action. Sitting around and complaining will get you nowhere. It will however keep you right where you are at. The more action you take the more doors that will be opened to you and the more opportunities will present themselves. One thing that I find hard to tolerate is people who will not do anything to help themselves and then wonder why they are "stuck". They blame everyone but themselves and wonder why the world is against them. The world is not against them, they are doing it to themselves and do not see it or choose not to see it.

5. Improve yourself. If you lack the skills or education level to to make it in today's work place then get more education and/or training. Seek out schools and training programs and apply. If you do not have the money then pursue scholarships, grants, etc to pay for it. Everyday, people find the way to pay for more education so if they can do it, so can you. It takes dedication, determination, hard work and sacrifice. But if you want it bad enough you will find a way to get it.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King Jr.

My question is, is everything as bad as the media wants us to believe? Or are they just reporting on all the negative things like always and keeping us in fear? Are there no companies making money? Is everyone out of a job? Wouldn't it be better to put our energies into finding solutions to the challenges we have instead of just talking about how bad everything is?

We have been through rough times throughout our history and we have the ingenuity and ability to get through these times too. Every challenge presents opportunities for innovation. Every obstacle presents a chance for us to grow and learn. What is needed for us right now is to remain calm, ignore the naysayers, roll up our sleeves, open our minds and get to work.

“View a negative experience in your life like you'd look at a photo negative. A single negative can create an unlimited number of positive prints.” - Gerhard Gschwandtner

What we also need is courageous, passionate, visionary people to step up and lead us into a new age of collaboration, cooperation and compassion. An age where we care for our fellow man, where we acknowledge that everyone has something to contribute, where we recognize that it is every one's responsibility to ensure that everybody has the basic necessities of life.

If you want a better world then change how you look at yourself and your responsibility to all mankind. True change begins and ends with you. You have the power, you simply have to tap into it. Keeping the faith in the middle of a crisis lies within you. If you know who you are, then faith will come automatically, for you will know how powerful you are and that you can create a solution.

"What worries you, masters you." - Haddon W. Robinson

I know we will find solutions to the challenges ahead. I know what we are capable of and so I have faith that all will be as it should be. In the meantime, I will be doing my part to help and seek answers to the challenges we face. I will be an active contributor in ushering in a new world. So, come join me in creating a world we all deserve to live in, using our faith, love gratitude, wisdom, intelligence, intuition and passion.

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

To be or not to be....

"To be or not to be, that is the question." - William Shakespeare

That is also the choice and the power we have as human beings. To be or not to be!

I have always liked to hear it when others say that we are human beings, not human doings. I just saw Deepak Chopra utter those words in a television commercial. It gives me a chuckle but it is so true. Otherwise we would be called human doings.

Often, we get so caught up in the doings of life that we forget to just be. We feel like we have to be doing something all the time or else nothing will get accomplished. However this does two things that are vital to our overall well being.

First of all, we ignore the creative thought process. We do not check in with our thoughts to see if they are in line with what we are doing. I have known many, many people that have worked hard all their life and in the end have nothing to show for it. They put in the action but their thoughts were not on prosperity and financial independence. It was on just getting by or I do not have enough money so I have to keep working hard. So, what did they get? I do not have enough money and I have to work hard their entire life or they just got by. They ignored what they were thinking and got exactly what they thought.

Secondly, all that effort and hard work leads to stress and health problems if you do not take time to just be. We all should take a minimum of 10 minutes a day to just be, to relax and let go. More would be much better but we think we have to be "doing" all the time, so start with 10 minutes and increase from there. At the end of this "being" time, you can check in with your thoughts and see if they are in line with what you want. If not, change them. If so, GREAT! But just be!

If you want happiness, be happy. If you want success, be successful. If you want compassion, be compassionate. If you want love, be love. It is in the being or to put it another way our thinking that we are what we are and who we are. You first have to be all those things you seek.

Now, I know it would sound a little silly to say, if you want money, then be money but that is exactly right. If you are thinking poor or lack of money, then you will be poor or have a lack of money. It has been said that what you focus on expands in your life. If you focus on the debt, you will be in debt. If you focus on the illness, you will be unhealthy or more succinctly put, you will be the illness.

Listen to what Shakespeare and Chopra have to say and let's be human beings.

That's all for now!

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Copyright 2008 Harry Shade, All Rights Reserved

I love you!

I love you! The most wonderful, uplifting phrase in all the world. It does matter what language you say it in, it always has the same effect. So, how often do you say it? Do you say it enough to those in your life that matter? Could you say it to a complete stranger?

I tell my wife, child and family members that I can that I love them. We close all our conversations with "Love ya, bye!". I even tell my dog, cats and garden plants that I love them. But I am like a majority of people out there who probably would not and could not tell someone I do not know that I love them. I mean the animals and plants will not try to have me arrested or give me weird looks. OK, so the cats give me weird looks all the time but they are cats, they just do that.

So, how can I say "I love you" without actually saying it. Actually, there are numerous ways I can do this and I will share a few of them with you.

1. I can just smile at people. A smile can say "I love you". It has at least a similar effect as uttering that wonderful phrase. When you smile at someone, you are letting them know that you care. And if they smile back then you have connected on the soul level.

2. I can just think "I love you". Sure, our thoughts are creative. That energy is released into the Universe and does have a positive affect, so why not walk around and think "I love you" about everything, especially yourself. It is the energy that is most important here so release your "love" energy for all the world to feel. Quite frankly we do not tell ourselves enough that we love who we are. Like I have always said it all begins with us, so go ahead, tell yourself that you love yourself.

3. I can give a gift to someone, donate to charity or volunteer for a worthy cause. All of these actions say "I love you" and just like thinking it, you spread the energy.

4. I can just look into someones eyes and with a look of love, I can connect and share the "love" energy, so words are not really even necessary. Did you ever do that? Just look deep into someones eyes and connect with their very soul. Wow, that is always a powerful moment.

5. I can write a poem, song or letter in which I express my love for someone, something or even the entire world.

6. Finally, I can just be loving towards myself and others. I can give a compliment, open a door, help someone load groceries in their car. I can get a massage, meditate, take a walk or eat my favorite desert.

There are as many ways that you and I can spread love either by actually saying "I love you" or doing and thinking loving things. The possibilities are as endless as the Universe.

So, let's all go out there and spread love in every way we can. I know it will have an immediate impact on you and the world.

I leave you today with this quote:

"Don't spend your precious time asking 'Why isn't the world a better place?' It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is 'How can I make it better?' To that there is an answer." - Leo F. Buscaglia

I LOVE YOU!

Harry

Copyright 2008, Harry Shade, All Rights Reserved

It's the little things!

I have often said that it is finding the joy in the simple, little things in life, that make the most difference and can provide the greatest happiness. Today I want to talk about two of those simple things that make my life so beautiful.

First of all, I want to tell you about my friend, Edward. Edward is a greeter at our local Meijer Department Store, which is a department store and grocery all wrapped in one. (I believe WalMart calls them Supercenters.) Edward is probably in his late 60's to early 70's and emigrated to the U.S., the son of Greek and Egyptian parents. The one thing that stands out about Edward is he always has a smile on his face and not any ordinary smile but rather one that lights up his whole face and is one of the most angelic smiles that I have probably ever seen. There is even a twinkle in his eye.

Now for most people going to the store is not exactly their idea of fun but I truly look forward to seeing Edward. I know earlier I called him a friend but he is more like an angel on Earth. That man brightens up my day every time I see him. I do not know how much he gets paid but he is priceless to me. The way I look at it, Meijer definitely gets their money's worth when Edward is there. I am not the only one Edward has this effect on because I have watched him interacting with other Meijer customers and by their reactions he has many people who look forward to being in Edward's presence.

I do recall several weeks ago that I did not see Edward for about 14 days and I prayed that he was OK and in my heart I knew he must have been on vacation. Well, when I walked in that store and saw him there, I was both relieved and excited. I asked him where he had been and in his broken English he told me he had been on vacation. I was thrilled to see him again and now I can't wait to go to Meijer to see if my angel, Edward is there. I'll tell you another way that Meijer was smart to emply this man. I probably go to that store more than I normally would simply because of Edward.

The next thing is simply playing Frisbee with my dog, Toby. It is so hilarious and joyous to see him get so excited when I ask him if he wants to go play "Frisbee". And the pure joy on his face when he is running back after catching another throw is absolutely priceless. It's funny it does not cost any money to go to the park and play with Toby however the sometimes overwhelming feelings of love and joy I get from it are without a doubt worth more than all the money in the world.



If you want to live a fulfilled and balanced life, seek out the simple things that bring you joy and spend as much time in their presence as you possibly can and when you cannot physically be in their presence, carry them in your heart and they will always be with you.

I leave you today with this quote:

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Copyright 2008, Harry Shade, All rights reserved.

What are you attracting into your life?

I spoke with someone who called the other day and wanted to run something past me. She was continuing to have some issues with a friend of hers. This friend was constantly correcting her in a very negative fashion. She had tried over a very lengthy time to ask the other party to not be so mean spirited about her "constructive criticism", to no avail. She even went as far as to try and remove this person from her life but always seemed to draw this person into her life.

I listened to the story and as compassionate I was about her situation (I had heard passionate complaints from this person about the very same situation on other occasions.) I just had to ask some very direct questions:

"Why do keep drawing this person back into your life?"

"Why do you feel the need to have her in your life?"

"What about you feels the need to be criticized in such a negative way?"

"Why do you need to have someone tell you your not right or good enough, etc?"

"Why can't you let her go?"

You see, we attract everything to us, be they people, places, things and/or experiences. We do this through our thoughts both conscious and unconscious. We do it because there is a lesson that we need to learn, a choice we need to make or they have attracted us into their life. Yes, others attract us into their lives for the very same reasons. I have said many times that we are both student and teacher.

Where most people have a problem with what I am saying is this makes them responsible for what is going on in their lives. If you can get past the "hurt" of the ego and look at your life objectively, you cannot help but see that what I am saying is the truth. Now, if you are not "learning" anything and you keep attracting the same things into your life, then quite frankly, you are choosing to not learn. Everything we do has choices and consequences attached to them.

After a few minutes of conversing and she providing answers to my questions, she said she wanted to cut ties with this person but felt guilty about it. I then asked:

"Why do you not think that cutting ties with this person is not an act of love?"

There was an "aha" moment right there. I could feel it and hear it in her voice.

You see we also let fear control how we look at things. Fear, guilt, anxiety, hate, prejudices, etc, all can cloud our thinking and judgement. Here is a situation where one person is in emotional pain and is so concerned with the guilt they will feel for getting away from the pain, that they would rather endure the pain. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, too many of us are too familiar with it. Getting yourself out of a detrimental relationship is not selfish, it is self preservation.

Is that not an act of love? Not only is it an act of love, it is for both parties. If you release someone from your life and thank them for their friendship, lesson, experiences whatever they have provided to you and if you can see how you have been good for each other but the time is now to part from one another, then it is an act of love, pure and simple. And no you do not have to verbally express these things to the other party just be grateful in your heart and release them or release the pain or whatever you need to release.

Today I leave you with this quote: "Bad times have a value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

That's all for today!

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Copyright 2008, Harry Shade, All rights reserved.

A Book Review, "Zero Limits" by Dr. Joe Vitale & Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len

Before I begin the review I do have to say that not having electricity for a little over four days last week, while not allowing me the opportunity to work at my home office, certainly provided time for me to catch up on my reading and one of the books I read was "Zero Limits". Reading that book has been some of the most productive time I have spent in a long, long time.

I have read literally hundreds of self-help, philosophy, spiritual and religious books but before I read "Zero Limits, " by Dr. Joe Vitale and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, master teacher of the updated Ho’oponopono system, I had never heard of the Hawaiian Ho'oponopono system.

I was not too far into the book when I filled with both intrigue and some frustration. I was so intrigued that I did not put the book down until I finished it. It took me about three hours to complete it but what I learned will be with me for a lifetime.

Even though I had always knew and practiced that I could not change anyone else, I had always thought that I could at least influence their decisions with my training and guidance. I was not prepared to hear that whatever I encountered in my life was a lesson for something I had to clear from myself, not them. Sure, I know that everything I encounter is a mirror unto myself, I just never had it put to me so eloquently and simply.

Dr. Len is truly an outstanding and wise teacher and Dr. Vitale brings this method to the masses with such integrity and love. I am now practicing Ho'opnonpono everyday and looking for a workshop by Dr. Len where I can experience more of this wonderful system.

One of the most beautiful things about the system is it's relative simplicity. Dr. Len says that he is constantly clearing and that by working on himself he sees changes happen around him. What does he do to "clear" himself and what is the basics of Ho'oponopono. These four statements that you repeat silently to yourself.

1. I love you.
2. I'm sorry.
3. Please forgive me.
4. Thank you.

That's it. This is what Dr. Len did to successfully treat patients locked up in a prison ward for the criminally insane without even seeing them. All he did was read their files and used the system to clear himself. The rest as they say is history.

I highly recommend you get this book and expose yourself to this beautiful system for self improvement.

That's all for today!

Blessings!

Harry

Do you learn from your experiences?

"There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience and that is not learning from experience." - Archibald McLeish

Do you learn from your experiences, both good and bad? In everything we attract into our lives there are lessons and sometimes the worse the experience the more we can learn from it.

Are you open to learning and growing? Or do you look at life as just something you have to go through until you reach death?

What can learned from the loss of a loved one? Perhaps that life is fleeting and we need to make the most of every moment. That the experiences you had with them were something that molded and shaped you to be the person you are today. That you had something to learn from them and something to teach them in return.

What can be learned from reaching a goal that you set? How about that you could do something that you thought was out of reach. That getting out of your "comfort zone" allowed you to grow. That it was not as scary as you thought it would be.

If something does not go as you had hoped, do you think of it as a waste of time or an opportunity to learn and/or grow? If you chose it as an opportunity to learn and/or grow then it is never a waste of time.

Whether the experiences are good or bad, if you have the attitude that you can learn from them all, then you will grow more than you could ever have imagined. Growth is not always easy or fun but as long as you approach it with a positive attitude, one that says everything and everyone I experience is to help me grow and be better than before I had the experience, then your life will be one of wonder and awe as you continue to on your life path towards enlightenment and spiritual growth.

Some food for thought, that is all for today!

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Are you positive or negative?

From time to time I like to utilize sonderful stories to illustrate points that I teach. Here is one of those stories.

I heard the story about a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he had grown up.

The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that occurred
in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day, the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.

Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" to which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to have his friend thrown into prison.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area wherein he should have known not to hunt. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came close to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb
and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the prison to speak with his friend.

"You were right", he said,"it was good that my thumb was blown off."

And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened.

"And so I am very sorry for sending you to prison for so long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "this is good!"

"What do you mean, 'this is good!'" said the King aghast. "How could it be good that I sent my friend to prison for a year?!"

"Well, if I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you, and I would have been eaten!"

I hope you enjoyed this story and can see how a positive outlook may even one day save your life.

That's all for today!

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Can you create a positive world by spreading negativity?

Sounds like a really illogical question, right? Or at least it seems like the answer is a pretty straight forward, NO! Yet that is what I hear from journalists that I talk to. You see a majority of them I have spoken with say they are in journalism to help change the world, in a positive way, but how is that possible when most of what they report on is negative?

It has been proven in numerous psychological studies that people exposed to negative images will have negative thoughts about the world. That seems logical to me. If you are constantly bombarded with negative images, it has to have an effect and not a positive one. I have yet to hear anyone say, after watching the news, "Well that was refreshing!" No, what I usually hear is "That was depressing!"

Why is it spiritual teachers will tell you that the easiest and quickest way to improve your life is to not watch the news? It's because most of the news programming is filled with negative images and stories.

Advertisers understand that their commercials have a psychological effect on consumers which, is why commercials are filled with mostly positive images and/or beneficial suggestions that appeal to consumers in some way. Buy this car and you will be powerful or help the environment. Drink this drink or use this body wash and you will attract the opposite sex.

Why is it then that journalists do not seem to get it? They constantly report on the negative and wonder why people are so negative. I know we do get the occasional feel good story of the day but shouldn't the reporting of the "good" news be the norm if we want to change the world for the better?

The next question I have is, when did all this start? Has the news always been negative? If so, what do we need to do to create a paradigm shift in journalism? If not, when did it start? How did it start? And, how do we change it?

I really believe the shift has to come from the journalists and journalism schools themselves. Someone, somewhere has got to recognize that they are source of the problem and do something to create the shift. Don't get me wrong, I know bad things happen but not to the extent that it is portrayed.

I had to chuckle at the headlines I saw this morning after Hilliary Clinton's speech last night. Personally, I am not a big Hillary fan but she delivered a powerful, uplifting, emotional and positive speech of her support for Barack Obama. But what were the headlines I saw today? Hillary Did Not Do Enough to Convince Her Supporters and Hillary Not Persuasive Enough. I have an idea, how about these headlines? Hillary Tells Supporters to Throw Their Full Support to Obama or Hillary Supports Obama All The Way.

I know if we all start to focus on what is good with life, our community, our country and our world, then we will make positive changes. Everything will get better, if we can just get people to focus on the positive.

That's all for today!

May you be blessed always and in all ways.

Harry