|
HAPPY
VALENTINES DAY!
Celebrate Light, Love and Laughter
The Power of Giving
Service to others is the payment you make for
your space here on earth.
Mohammed Ali |
We're awfully busy, many of us. Between
work, taking care of the family, being there for
friends, grocery shopping, returning phone calls and
catching up with emails, who has time for much else? I
can relate to the "I'm so busy" syndrome. Some days I
wonder how I do it all. But one thing I have both
observed in others, and learned from my own life, is
that no matter how busy we are, we find time to do the
things that we determine to be a priority. For me, that
has been volunteering.
I have always been inspired to help others. It started
in junior high school, when I was a peer counselor and
continues to this day. During the time I have been in
Connecticut, I have spent time volunteering at a
retirement home (I spent enjoyable Sunday afternoons
helping residents play Bingo), followed by Tuesday
mornings, before my 9-5 job, at the Connecticut Food
Bank boxing food that would go to social service
agencies. Those Tuesdays were long days, but oh so worth
it. For the last few years, I've been involved with the
Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation (LUKMEF,
http://www.lukmefcameroon.org) in Cameroon, Central Africa. As a board member,
I work with others located around the globe to help a
community plagued with illness and health issues,
corruption, lack of freedom of speech and much violence.
We are a governance, advisory and fundraising body and
we do what we can to be of assistance.
I am now about to embark on a new journey. I recently
completed training to be a Hospice volunteer. It
included several hours of training during which we
learned about the focus of Hospice (it's about what the
patient wants, not everyone else), were educated about
family dynamics and communications, as well as
spirituality and bereavement, among other things. I
think I will be very happy helping in this way. 50% of
people in nursing homes have no one who visits them.
They are alone and I just don't think that's right or
necessary. If each of us took even one hour a week to
help someone in need-wow! What a difference that would
make in someone's life. So please consider it. Volunteer
opportunities are abundant. Maybe you'll opt to be a
hospice volunteer. Perhaps you'll be a tutor or mentor
to a young person, a reader for the seeing impaired,
office help for a struggling non-profit or on-hand to
help at a run or walk for a worthy, health-related
cause.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, both the
number of volunteers and the volunteer rate rose in
2009. About 63.4 million, or 26.8 percent of the
population, volunteered. That's a lot of people, but
just imagine the impact if that number was at least
doubled. Let's do it and make a difference.
Quotes About Giving
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed
citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only
thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead
Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You
don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't
even have to make your subject and your verb agree to
serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul
generated by love...
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the
earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish
caring, patience, and just plain love for one another.
Erma Bombeck
Throughout my life, I've seen the difference that
volunteering efforts can make in people's lives. I know
the personal value of service as a local volunteer.
Jimmy Carter
How can we expect our children to know and experience
the joy of giving unless we teach them that the greater
pleasure in life lies in the art of giving rather than
receiving?
James Cash Penny
We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by
what we give.
Winston Churchill
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this
life that no man can sincerely try to help another
without helping himself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Volunteering can be an exciting, growing, enjoyable
experience. It is truly gratifying to serve a cause,
practice one's ideals, work with people, solve problems,
see benefits, and know one had a hand in them.
Harriet Naylor
Living is the art of loving. Loving is the art of
caring. Caring is the art of sharing. Sharing is the art
of living. If you want to lift yourself up, lift up
someone else.
Booker T. Washington
No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden
of it for someone else.
Benjamin Franklin
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
Aesop
I'm Available To Help
Positivity coaching is a holistic
approach to self-empowerment that incorporates the
practice of positivity in all areas of your life. Living
a life that is balanced, pro-active and powerful makes
for a more fulfilling existence and there is no time
like the present to invest in yourself and further
develop the skills needed to enjoy life's experiences to
the fullest.
By the end of this eight-week program you will have:
*Developed a mission and vision statement for your life
*Gained an understanding of how the journal you will
keep throughout this process can guide you to further
success
*Identified your values (priorities, standards and
principles we will use to build a future roadmap for
yourself) and learned how to honor them
*Identified, with my assistance, your goals and
objectives for the next 24 months
*Have a timeline for action in place
These sessions can be done by phone or in person For
more information, feel free to contact me at
positivebliss1@yahoo.com
and check out my website at
www.positivebliss.com
ALL
YOU
NEED
IS
LOVE
The Beatles
ALL
YOU
NEED
IS
LOVE
A special thank you to Pat Durner for her assistance
with this newsletter. You are appreciated!
|
