Brummet's Conscious Blog

Kindness Explained  * Written by Vijaya Jayaraman, with extensive editing by Lillian Brummet You can act kindly only when you think positively; it's an expression of your thoughts and you cannot fake it. Kindness comes from the heart! The thought becomes your words.  "If you cannot speak kind words, better to be silent".  This quote from Bhagavad Gita {Ch 17, verse 15} emphasizes the importance of thinking before speaking. Consider how easy it is to be kind to someone if you already have a preconceived positive notion about that person, but your kindness vanishes when you have a negative thought about the same person. A mother's love is the ultimate kindness. She is the symbolic epitome of kindness and we all learn what kindness is through her. Kindness is expressing love without expecting anything in return. If we can emulate that very same love to everyone around we would be in a wonderful world! Kindness is expressed in the same way whether it's directed toward...

-- Finding Effective Charities --  Many of us feel a little bit sceptical about giving to charities - A lot of questions commonly fire off rapidly as we are considering whether to give. "Is it really helping?", we ask ourselves, "Is it the best use of my donated dollars? How much is actually going to the cause and not going to producing magazines or recruiting more donors? How does this affect me or my family or my community?" I truly believe many of us give in all kinds of ways - we participate in community fundraisers, charity drives through local businesses, calls for donations from our churches or announcements in our newspapers. We might drop our spare change in collection jars at the counter. The school our children go to might need help. We might leave our bottles and cans at the depot for the staff to donate the proceeds to a variety of programs, projects and charities they offer for their patrons to consider supporting. These are everyday activities...

-- Chatter --  I've noticed so many things in our community that make me really sit up and absorb what I am seeing. So forgive me, but I do have to celebrate them today publicly: Locally we have numerous organizations that benefit the community - one such organization is the Fields Forward group, which works with volunteers, government, farmers, markets, business, food producers, etc. to improve the "10 mile diet" we have going on here and also including "100 mile diet" for the interaction and cooperation with communities close to us as well. It really is amazing how this organization was able to connect the dots between all these enthusiastic individuals and groups, so they can now work effectively toward their goals.  Numerous organizations host fund-raising auctions and bake sales, and many other types of fundraisers and events, benefiting all kinds of community projects on an almost daily basis.  People are often spotlighted in the pape...

Dave and I wish all of our readers a warm, relaxing and fulfilling holiday season :) -- Quote of the Day --  “ There have been some interesting studies of the act of giving… and how it is tremendously healthy for the giver, as well as the recipient. …Volunteering is sometimes more personal than just writing a check, however both are good for the soul. …you get more out of life by giving than you ever could by receiving – giving in a meaningful way to organizations you believe in is a great way to really feel and see what it is you are getting involved in. …It gets people out and builds communities. These days with the ability to connect to the world can cause a separation from the community - so volunteering is a way to balance a person’s life. …It is you that has to do it; each of us have to make the time to get involved in the community. ”  Land Conservancy of BC – Bill Turner – Oct 19   Check out this interesting interview with the director of the Lan...

-- Quote of the Day -- Observation, Not Old Age, Brings Wisdom. ~ Author Unknown -- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -- This morning at 10-11 AM (pacific) I have Megan Hill, manager of the See-Write-Live blog, joining us on the Conscious Discussions Talk radio show. She is a prolific freelance writer, a non-profit consultant and a passionate volunteer. We will be discussing the concept of volunteering and giving services to others. Join us live at 10-11 AM (pacific), and drop in to the live chat room... or access the archived interview at your convenience: Service is Power Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio program, newsletter, blogs, and more at: www.brummet.ca * Support the Brummets by telling your friends, or purchasing a book - each book sold raises funds for charity as well!

-- Quote of the Day -- " Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better. " ~ King Whitney Jr. -- Conscious Holiday Tips -- Today, as promised, we continue to offer more conscious holiday tips, ways to green your events and green eco-gifts that benefit the planet and the gift recipient. Consider the following - Dimmer switches or compact fluorescent bulbs; don’t forget those 3-way CFL bulbs for lamps, the smaller ones for chandeliers and outdoor lighting. The gift recipeint benefits by having a convenient way to reduce energy consumption. Some retailers and power companies continue to offer rebates, so be sure and keep the receipts for these purchases and you might be able to save a little money too! - For the gardener on your list a s...

-- Holiday Activities Involving Reuse -- Save all of the cards you receive on awareness days, holidays, birthdays, valentines days and get well cards; the ones you receive, the ones you've made an error in and don't want to send ... they are all useful. Gather the family around your table and get them to make puzzles or fridge magnets for their young friends, class mates or loved ones. These can also make wonderful projects to create gifts for senior's centers, women's centers, children's centers or classes and to support centers for the poor. First - sort the cards into themes and then sort them from large to small in size. Puzzles are easily created by gluing 2 cards together so that there is a picture on either side. place the cards under a weight like a large book to make sure the 2 cards have a good solid seal. Once the glue has cured, cut the cards into puzzle pieces of a variety of shapes and sizes. To make fridge magnets simply choose interesting images, ...