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

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

Solitude

How often do you get to just be by yourself? No kids, spouses, significant others, work, anything.

How often do you go into silence? With no music, tv, Internet or other distractions of life.

When was the last time you took a trip by yourself?

When was the last time you took a walk in nature, alone?

When was the last time you went to the movies, out to dinner or to any event alone?

The answers to the questions is not often enough and it has been too long to be able to remember. By nature you are not solitary animals, unless you are totally introverted and that is not many of you. No a majority of you cherish contact with others.

You tolerate the hustle and bustle of life because you think that is how it should be. You must be busy, busy, busy. Otherwise, how is anything ever going to get done? You are forever trying to cram 30 hours of stuff into a 24 day and wonder why you are stressed out, anxious and tired. Mostly tired!

It is because you do not take time to just be in solitude. For some of you solitude is scary. What will you do with yourself? What might you find out about you that you do not like? For others you think it is a waste of time. There is stuff to be done you know? Can you say stroke or heart attack walking?

Of course you can be in solitude and still be doing things, just do them alone. You can garden, work on a project, listen to music, watch a movie or ride your bike. The key here is doing it alone, with no distractions from anything else. And that's the tough part. Now, if you are so inclined, being in solitude, like on a hike, where you are alone in nature can be even more relaxing but the idea here is to mentally remove yourself from the rest of the world.

"The great omission in American life is solitude...that zone of time and space, free from the outside pressures, which is the incinerator of spirit." - Marya Mannes

Here are five reasons for the importance of going into solitude. It allows you:

1. to relax and just be.

2. to take time off from the rigors of everyday life.

3. to recharge your batteries.

4. to get in touch with you.

5. to take an internal inventory.

"One hour of thoughtful solitude may nerve the heart for days of conflict - girding up its armour to meet the most insidious foe." - Percival

So, don't look at solitude as something to avoid or put off when you have time for it. It is something you need to do to maintain your physical, mental and spiritual health.

That's all for today.

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry

Suggested Reading

Over the years I have read numerous books that have helped me along my personal life path. Today I am sharing some of them with you, in the hope that they may help you too.

So, here are ten of my favorites:

1. Conversations With God by Neale Donald Walsch

2. Wooden by John Wooden with Steve Jamison

3. The Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra

4. Think & Grow Rich by Napolean Hill

5. The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

6. Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace, and More by Joe Vitale & Ihaleakala Lew Hen, Phd.

7. The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz

8. One Heart: Wisdom from the World's Scriptures edited by Bonnie Louise Kuchler

9. The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

10. Mother Earth Spirituality: Native American Paths to Healing Ourselves and Our World by Ed McGaa, Eagle Man

Now this is just a sampling of the literally hundreds of books that I have simply devoured in my quest to learn everything I can about who I am and why I am here. they have provided me guidance and helped me to live a fulfilled and balanced life. I am quite sure that they may do the same thing for you too.

All of these books have contributed to my philosophy of life and that is: "I do not care what you call yourself, love one another. The rest is just details!"

That's all for today.

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

F-A-I-T-H

Can I get an F? F

Can I get an A? A

Can I get an I? I

Can I get a T? T

Can I get an H?H

What does it spell? Faith What? Faith LOUDER! FAITH

One of my friends, Michelle Casto, wrote in a facebook discussion that FAITH = Find Answers In The Heart. I like that for that is where faith lies, in your heart. Your head may say this is impossible but your heart screams, "Have faith!" To learn more about the beautiful soul known as Michelle Casto and the wonderful work she is doing go to her web site http://www.brightlightcoach.com/

Here are some great quotes about faith!

Brian Tracy said - "Be willing to launch in faith, with no guarantees of success. This is the mark of personal greatness."

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

Martin Luther King said - "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

Thomas N. Carrurther said - "Faith that the thing can be done is essential to any great achievement."

Albert Schweitzer said - "Every start upon an untrodden path is a venture which only in unusual circumstances seems sensible and likely to be successful."

What is everyone saying here? That without faith nothing can be accomplished but with faith anything is possible. They are also saying that faith takes courage and determination, that faith is the power that helps you overcome your fears.

So have faith in yourself and you will accomplish more than you ever thought to be posible!

That's all for today.

May you be blessed always and in all ways!

Harry