Come learn to infuse your actions with gratitude.
Harry counsels all who come to visit to consider expressing gratitude,
for life itself, through service to other human beings.
John F. Kennedy said:
“We must never forget that the highest gratitude
is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
One way of pursuing peace in one’s own inner life
is to be of active value to other human beings in need,
out in the world, beyond our own bellybuttons and front doors.
One hour a week can make a difference in your fulfillment
and in the lives of others. Some of Harry’s clients cook and serve
dinner in soup kitchens. Some gather warm clothing for the homeless.
At times,a few generations of a family work together to improve
others’ troubled lives. Truly beautiful to observe moments when children
and parents, and even grandparents, unite to serve hot food to people
who rarely know a hot meal.
Being aware of the needs of the elders in our community can inspire
momentum in your intention to change your own life. Walk out the door
of your own place, walk in any direction, and, if you are observing
carefully, within a few hundred yards you will be at the threshold
of a senior citizen who doesn’t get out to the mailbox so easily,
who misses meals because food shopping can be too strenuous.
Make a friend of that senior. Bring in the mail.
How to be of active help?
Refrain from saying: “Call when you need something.”
You’ll never get a call.
But do say: “I’m going to the grocery store now.
Give me your list and I’ll be back with your food in an hour.”
Seniors can feel isolated.
Partners of long marriages leave this world.
Close family lives at a distance.
Difficulty moving can limit the scope of travel.
Society can seem intent on exiling our elders
to assisted lives in the path of late-summer hurricanes.
As old-world traditions fade, our elders, and all they can teach us, become more precious.
And our elders need to know how essential they are to civilized life, need to feel treasured.