"HOW CAN I HELP?"

"HOW CAN I HELP?

My great-nephew Charles Rogers has launched a national “How Can I Help?” Day Saturday, November 6, 2010, in honor of his maternal grandmother, Clarissa Walker, on her 79^th birthday.  Charles had the privilege of spending many rewarding hours of his childhood with her in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he absorbed the lessons of generosity and sharing from this amazing woman who is the epitome of the phrase, “How Can I Help?”.

In her work as the grassroots organizer of The Food Shelf, she began each telephone and face-to-face conversation with, “How can I help?”, and she never failed to find a way to do just that; to help.  Clarissa Walker changed the lives of more Minnesotans than can be counted as she recognized the needs of the disenfranchised for jobs, food, clothing, and safe place for the homeless to sleep. Just imagine that if one person could do this, what all of us could do by taking up this cause.

When Charles said that he was going to establish this day, I felt a rush of excitement about the idea and could clearly see the impact that a change of thinking for this one day could have on me and the entire planet.  What if this motto became the prevailing consciousness of the masses?  What if no matter where you went or who you were with, your first thought was, “How can I help?”, and you in fact, found a way to act upon it? 

The adrenaline rushed through my body and I had already grasped the idea and was anxious to test this theory.  I could sense the naturalness of this feeling and all around me I could see that there were needs to be met.  At the grocery store for instance, I noticed that the clerk behind the register was tired and was edging on irritability.  I silently asked myself the question, “How Can I Help?”, and immediately knew that she needed someone to look her in the eye and ask her how her day was going. When I did ask her, she raised her head and looked at me with a surprised expression, smiled and thanked me for asking.  She didn’t go into the details about her day, but I could see that she was happy that someone had seen her and cared enough to inquire.  I realized that it was not all about giving in a material or monetary way, but of truly giving of yourself, empowering those around you, and by honoring their being and giving them an opportunity to see their lives in new and more expansive ways.

I know that just my thinking in this way is causing the world to shift and change its focus from, “How can I use you?”, or, “How can I avoid helping you?” to, “How can I help?”.   The evidence appeared immediately when five people, randomly and spontaneously reached out to me to help in various ways.  The first was a dear friend who lives on the east coast and who woke me by phone so that she could tell me how much she treasured our friendship and the wonderful things that she saw for me. The second was my niece who said she had just put money into my account as a token of the value she placed in me and the positive effect that I have had on her life. The third was a friend who reads my blogs and realized that I must have been absent on the day they taught punctuation  and who volunteered to take the  task of editing just because she wanted to be sure that what I present is of excellent quality and  will successfully provide new thoughts for my readers. The fourth event of help was receiving a gift from a friend who counted me among those who had influenced the joy of her days. The fifth was from my sister, who always seems to know just what I need whether it is financial or simply a word of encouragement.  As I put these events into perspective, I realized that the law of reciprocity was operating and that even as I thought of how I could help others it was returning to me in kind.  It is important to recognize and acknowledge when you have been touched by this wave of generosity of the spirit.

I look forward to the day when this thought of assisting our fellow man embraces the world and it becomes the sincere campaign slogan for our politicians and world leaders.  When they realize the necessity of recognizing the power that is inherent in honestly appreciating, understanding, and fulfilling the needs of their constituents, they will have erased the lines of division and achieve absolute equality and cooperation.

Please join me this coming Saturday, November 6, 2010 as we honor Mrs. Clarissa Walker by circulating her caring spirit to touch everyone on the planet with her offering to humanity. In this age of technology let us send this all-encompassing message of being to all the inhabitants of the earth. We can enrich our friends and family by sending this inspiration of unconditional love. Remember that we are one. Let us make, “HOW CAN I HELP?”, the mantra for the world.