In November, our thoughts turn to the Thanksgiving holiday when we gather with family and friends, taking time to express appreciation and give thanks for the blessings in our lives. This year, how about doing a little switch? What if we decided to put more emphasis on the “giving” in Thanksgiving? Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the tradition of expressing gratitude and offering thanks. What I’m proposing is a shift by expanding our focus to a larger perspective.

The idea of giving is certainly not a new concept. We all know how it feels when we’ve done something nice for someone else. We benefit almost as much, if not more, than the receiver. It is good to give.

Our high-tech society sometimes leaves very little time for personal touch. We have the opportunity to tune into the world in real time and witness what’s happening in the lives of others worldwide… and sometimes it’s not a pretty picture. As this technology is drawing us closer together as “family,” it also brings us to the realization that there is no better time than now to ignite the awesome power of giving within each one of us toward our fellow human beings.

So what can you do to help raise the vibration, to be of service to others and to help increase the positive energy on the planet? Here are some examples of how others are doing it. This just may spark something inside that will inspire you to divine action.
• Two young men worked for years in a corporate setting. They both felt a calling to help others and stepped away from their lucrative careers to follow their hearts. They envisioned a vehicle that would earn money to be donated back into their communities. Using the model of Paul Newman’s brand, Newman’s Own, where all the profits are donated, Give Something Back was born. Now, 15 years later, with more than $3 million in donations, Give Something Back is living up to its name and vision by helping in the communities they are part of.

• Dr. Mary Jo Bulbrook felt the call from her inner guidance to help some of the poorest communities in the world by teaching them how to help heal themselves and others through the use of energy medicine and healing touch. Each year, she personally travels to remote villages and towns, bringing it right to the people who need it most. To date, Energy Medicine Partnerships has established 11 centers in Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and South Africa. The most recent program, established 2 years ago, Kids Helping Kids has helped over 200 children with AIDS living in Chile and is establishing centers in Australia and Calgary, Canada. One woman with a vision is paying it forward and making a difference in thousands of lives. (www.energymedicinepartnerships.com)

• Oprah is one of my all-time heroes. She constantly sets the example for all of us and is always posing the question, “What can I do?” Her Angel Network, established in 1998 is dedicated to “inspiring people to make a difference in the lives of others.” On a recent show, she gave the audience a “Pay It Forward” challenge. Each member of the audience received a check for $1,000 and was challenged to come up with inspiring and creative ways to help others, within one week! What these 300-some people were able to accomplish in their communities was absolutely amazing. You can read about it and watch videos of their stories on oprah.com. Have a box of Kleenex on hand… you’ll need it!

• Bill Clinton is joining the ranks with his new book Giving, subtitled, How Each Of Us Can Change The World. He recognizes the basic human need we all have to give back to others, to be helpful in some way to those who need us. In the book, President Clinton gives story after story about how others are giving back, like six-year-old McKenzie Steiner, who organized and supervised drives to clean up the beach in her community. “We all have the capacity to do great things,” President Clinton says. He hopes that the people and stories related will touch hearts and demonstrate that activism and service can be a powerful agent of change in the world.

OK, so you may not be able to give on the scale of Bill and Melinda Gates or Oprah, but there is something you can do and someone’s heart you can touch today; someone who needs a kind word, a smile or a phone call. Don’t put off doing that random act of kindness.

Oprah says it best, “Think about what you have to give, not even in terms of dollars because I believe that your life is about service. It’s about what you came to give to the world, to your children, to your family.”

There are people in our phenomeNEWS “family” in need of prayers and blessings right now. Please keep in your prayers and meditations our dear friends Jeanne McNeil, Robert Taylor and Dove (Karen Smith). Thank you so much!