Getting involved and making a difference.

If you want to make a shift in consciousness, you can do it simply by working on shifting from within. If you want to change the world, you can do it by changing your own world living in love and integrity within your own sphere of personal relationships.

If you want to get involved in a direct way in your community then start there: in your community. You can begin at your children’s school, or get involved with a local volunteer group, or get involved with local politics. You can also get involved with politics on a larger scale through the internet, writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper, signing or beginning petitions, emailing, writing letters, or telephoning your local and state representatives, or start your own campaign and run for office.

There are many ways to get involved now that there are so many connections through the internet, but I implore you, if you decide you want to get directly involved, above anything, please get yourself informed and educated about our system of government. History, ethics, and economics are also good areas in which to hone your skills and develop your knowledge. Most importantly though is to have your facts straight.

We have enough attractive charismatic celebrities in our culture mucking things up, what we really need are those who have a sincere desire to contribute in meaningful ways. As I stated, this can be accomplished simply by attending to your own consciousness and your own personal relationships. It really does all begin with a single individual.

But there are plenty of areas you can get yourself informed with all of the technology we have and research material available at the stroke of the key or the click of the mouse. Be discerning in your quest to do your research; there are fact checking sites like Snopes.com and factcheck.org that are impartial sites that offer up the facts and dispel myths.

One group that has sprung up, calling themselves The Coffee Party, I have been following with interest. I’m not directly associated with them, though I have joined their Facebook group and I am following their activity, so far I am impressed that they are at least committed to being civil in their discourse and they are committed to informing and educating themselves. This I think is a great start and quite refreshing.

I have been following the political landscape over the past couple of years with keen interest because I felt I was seeing an energy in the people of this country signaling that we are ready for change and ready to do what it takes to create a greater shift than we have seen for a long time. I’m not sure how true this is but I am willing to share here my observations and what I have gleaned from my research just in case.

On Monday, I am going to share some differing philosophies.

365 Lessons-Lesson 33: Pay Attention, The Signs are Right in Front of You

My friend, Rosedanie Cadet, hadn't been back to her country, Haiti, in 36 years. In December, she sat at my dining room table and told me that she was going back. She had planned to return to Japan, where she once lived, but didn't receive her visa in time. Since she had the time, she decided she would like to return to her country to help her people. This was before the earthquake.

She left in December with a non-profit organization called Answered Prayers. She was selected to act as the translator of this program which would travel to an orphanage in Haiti in order to bring supplies to the children and help with building projects. She asked me if I knew of anyone who had any baby items. I don't have children, so I immediately contacted my sister and best friend who both provided Rosedanie with a few boxes of items.

Before Rosedanie left for Haiti, a friend mentioned that she should have a psychic reading to find out why she felt a strong need to return. The psychic told her that her grandmother, who died before Rosedanie ever had a chance to meet her, was waiting for her return. Even though they had never met, Rosedanie felt her grandmother was with her and that she had work to do in Haiti.

A week or so after Rosedanie returned from Haiti, after helping out with the orphanage, the earthquake hit. Rosedanie made it back just in time. Many of her family members were missing and it took some time to find them, but all of them are safe.

While most would be frightened to return to a country that was just destroyed by an earthquake, Rosdanie took it as a sign that she was meant to return. She had a strong sense that her grandmother was there helping her in spirit. She contacted Partner's in Health and Mercy Corps to let them know about a project she had been planning for some time. They let her know that she could make a donation, but they wouldn't accept her project.

Rosedanie has been a cook and garderner on Orcas Island, WA for several years. Rosedanie believes that if people in rural areas learn proper farming techniques and have a proper facility to store food, they will learn to be self sufficient and not need to rely on the heavy aid of other countries. If jobs are created in the rural areas through farming, people will be more apt to stay there and there won't be as much of a need to go to the city to find work.

She decided to form her own organization called The Noramise Project, named after her grandmother. She feels this is her calling. Helping the people of Haiti during this earthquake is a wonderful thing. But helping the people to become self sufficient for life is something that will last for many generations to come. Here's a video of Rosedanie talking about her project:



Answered Prayers, the organization she traveled with in December when she went to help out in the orphanage, has decided to link her project to their site. You can make specific donations to the Noramise Project by going to answeredprayers2.org. Make sure to specify that you would like your donation to go to that project. You can also visit noramise.org to find out more specifics on this project.

Rosedanie and I have been good friends for some time now. When I see what she has done in such a short amount of time with her project, I am utterly amazed. After the earthquake, she has participated in two benefit dinners for Haiti. Some of those proceeds will go to her project. She has also managed to mobilize volunteers in Haiti to help with farming. She has gotten a church in the rural city of Limbe, where she is from, to donate land for her food processing plant. Two articles have been published on Orcas Island, WA talking about her project. Momentum for what she is doing is coming from all directions. People are saying, "What can I do?"

I asked her if she finds this amazing. She said, "I am just a conduit. I am like a hub. My main role is to be the connecting person. I am receiving messages of what I need to do and what actions I need to take and I'm taking them." This sense of selfless service in my friend is so amazing. She has put all her needs and cares aside and is doing this for the people of her country.

More than that, all of this seems to be coming through my friend. Not even she knows where it all will lead, she is just taking things as they come.

Rosedanie stopped by my house again today and told me of this project. I knew I had to write a post here. I felt it was a sign to me that she was sitting in front of me at my dining room table once again. If she had stayed a little longer in Haiti, I might have lost my friend.

Pay attention, the signs are right in front of you. If this project speaks to you, I urge you to get involved by either donating or going to Haiti to volunteer your time. My dear friend has reminded me that sharing whatever gifts we have with others on this planet is the reason why we are here.