Sangha of Auspicious Companions

The Free Farm

Love all, serve all, feed all. — Neem Karoli Baba

~~~~ Good News of the Day: The Free Farm in San Francisco, run fully by volunteers, is dedicated to bringing fresh, local, organic produce for free to under-served communities in the San Francisco area. In 2009 alone, they gifted over 20,000 lbs of produce. A remarkable activist describes his experience in serving at the Free Farm. “We are not growing fruits and veggies. We are facilitating the growth of soil and community. The food is a by-product. We’re mostly giving back to Mother Earth, and in the process, enjoying the co-creation of noble friendship. This is the revelation I got when I met “Tree” (the founder of the Free Farm). From my perspective, this is Gandhi’s constructive program at its best, revamped for the 21st century. Gandhi used the spinning wheel as both physical embodiment and symbol for radical change. Today, the foundation for social justice is local and healthy food — our “spinning wheel” for the 21st century.”
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~~~~ Be The Change: Write a note of support / gratitude to “Tree” of the Free Farm for starting this amazing community project. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E908:C3009629A010612C1965FF8F12E86A17B4B847859706E37D&

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Smile Newsletter: Paid in Full with One Glass of Milk

Dec 4, 2011 “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.” — Albert Einstein “I work with a lady from India. Sometimes, its hard for her to socialize with the others at work because of her strong accent. Last week, she was sitting all alone in the Living Room, while the others were involved in a Christmas activity. I asked her if she would like to join the others and she said no. I asked her why, she said “I can’t do what they are doing.” I told her sure you can. So I took her over – they were putting Christmas stickers on clothes pins. I gave her some clothes pins and stickers and we began doing what the others were doing. When she did just one, I gave her praise after praise. All she could do was smile. And the most amazing thing to me was what she said that melted my heart. She said, “Thank you dear. You make me feel like a little kid, in school again, God bless you.” At that point she took my hand and kissed it. I was over joyed!!! I left her to finish and when I walk ed away, I could feel the calmness all around me. I made a difference in her life that day.” — PassionateM3 [ share your story >> ] You can also contribute comments on each story! A Guide Dog for the Blind >> Pocket Money in Tanzania >> Paid In Full With One Glass of Milk >> More Stories >> “We are all connected and one act of kindness ripples across the world. I have always believed that we can all make a positive difference and change the world!”– TonyB What is a “smile card”? It’s a game of kindness — do something nice for someone and leave a card behind asking them to pay it forward. To date, 984,149 cards have been shipped without any charge. The ‘Smiles’ newsletter is emailed to 86,094 subscribers with the intent of spreading more smiles in the world. You can unsubscribe anytime. get smile cards | donate | write to us

Do Trees Talk to Each Other?

There is always music amongst the trees in the garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. — Minnie Aumonier

~~~~ Fact of the Day: Don’t trees only talk to each other in the movies? Professor Suzanne Simard of the University of British Columbia shares her latest research regarding forest ecosystems: amazingly, trees in a forest coexist in a synergistic web of interconnections, with the largest, oldest, “mother trees” serving as hubs. Because of the old trees linked into the network, the underground exchange of nutrients increases the survival of younger trees — becoming a fascinating, real-life model of forest resilience and regeneration. This short video shares the intriguing science behind forest inter-connectivity. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E8B7:C3009629A010612C00B8AA772B3E078EB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Given your own inter-connections, consider where you get your nourishment and resilience from — and thank one of the sources.

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Kindness Daily: A Tail Waggin Way Of A Blessing

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A Tail Waggin Way Of A Blessing December 3, 2011 – Posted by justinbieber Last week, I was out getting the mail and noticed a dog crossing the street that looked oddly familiar. I went near the dog to see if it had a tag or if I recognized it to see if I could find the owner. When I got close to the dog, I realized that that same dog was the dog that my neighbors had lost 4 years ago. A few months ago, these neighbors moved out of my neighborhood, but that wasnt going to stop me finding them! I remebered they moved to Minnesotta. I spent the rest of the day searching all of the people with their last name in the Minnesotta area. Finally when I was starting to give up hope, I called te last number. I couldnt’ believe it, it was them! I told them of how I found their dog that went missing 4 years ago..They thought it was to good to come true. They immediately flew down to Florida to re-unite with their dog, and were absolutly shocked. They told me God has answered their prayers. They offered me a fairly large reward, and even though I really needed the money. I said no. Seeing the happy faces of them with their dog was as rewarding as it could get.! Add/View Comment >> About Newsletter Kindness Daily is an email that delivers today’s featured story from HelpOthers.org. If you’d rather not receive this email, you can also unsubscribe. Similar Stories When A Rose Is A Rose Is- More Than A Rose., by singlestep Be Vocal In Times Of Beauty, by singlestep One Email Begets Another, by pinkie Few Bills Under A Paper Napkin, by Shephali A Tiny Gesture At A Local Fair, by learning2listen Helpful Links Smile Cards: do an act of kindness and leave a card behind to keep the chain going. Smile Decks: 52 cards with a kindness idea on each! Smile Groups: share your own stories, make friends, spread the good. Smile Ideas: loads of ideas that can support your drive of kindness. Unsubscribe If you’d rather not receive these stories by email, you can remove yourself with two easy clicks. Community

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Assuming Value Everywhere

Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won’t come in. — Alan Alda

~~~~ Tip of the Day: “I noticed that there was one kid who no one was really talking to. He had a serious kind of disability, and some of the kids were kinda scared to approach him. So I went up and introduced myself. And you know what? He taught me some amazing dance moves!” Sharing his presence was a wonderful thing to do, in and of itself, but my 14-yr-old cousin’s perspective was even more remarkable. We asked him, “What if he wasn’t able to teach you anything? Would you still have done it?” “Well, everyone is good at something. You just have to listen long enough.” A profound lesson coming from an early teen: Assume value everywhere. In orienting ourselves in this way, we take responsibility for tuning in to what others offer, and open ourselves to other perspectives. This thought-provoking piece, originally from Parabola Magazine, shares further. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E802:C3009629A010612C3A39300C6B3DC187B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Broaden your own assumptions today: assume value somewhere you don’t generally look.

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Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Kindness Daily: Flowers and Wheel Chairs

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Flowers and Wheel Chairs December 2, 2011 – Posted by rasy I am the Director of a little non profit Youth Centre and we do at least one act of kindness a month with the youth who attend. Just this month the youth handed out flowers to random community members. There was great energy among the kids that day, after we exchange stories on how we felt about the act of kindness we did. A 14 year old male stood up and said "Id like to say something." I was a bit surprised as he is a shy and quite boy but I said go ahead. "Today I gave a lady who was in a wheel chair a flower. She was putting her two kids in the back seat of her car. When I went up to her and said, hello, she was suprised when I handed her a flower. I quickly said Happy Valentines day and started to walk away. She then then said, wait young man, thank you very much for the flower, I really apperciate it. I nodded and was on my way. I am wondering how she gets her two kids ready, puts them in the car, and gets them to daycare all by herself. To me that is outstanding, and I am glad I picked her. I really hate when the youth centre makes us do acts of kindness, but now I really understand how important it is to be kind to one another." The next day the same youth came back to the Youth Centre. He said he seen the same lady he saw yesterday in her wheelchair and when putting her children in her car, her wheel got stuck in the snow. He said he grabbed her chair pulled her to the curb and said there you go. When the lady looked up at him she smiled, and said well thank you young man. He then said no problem! and walked away. He was glowing that day, and for the first time I could see he felt great about himself. I then heard him later on tell another youth what he did the last few days with the lady. The other youth responded with a smile. 🙂 Add/View Comment >> About Newsletter Kindness Daily is an email that delivers today’s featured story from HelpOthers.org. If you’d rather not receive this email, you can also unsubscribe. Similar Stories Costco Love, by earthling Miles of Smiles, by JZ No Choice But To Do Something, by Will Glennon Midnight roses, by Satya Spreading Smiles in Calcutta, by Pavi Helpful Links Smile Cards: do an act of kindness and leave a card behind to keep the chain going. Smile Decks: 52 cards with a kindness idea on each! Smile Groups: share your own stories, make friends, spread the good. Smile Ideas: loads of ideas that can support your drive of kindness. Unsubscribe If you’d rather not receive these stories by email, you can remove yourself with two easy clicks. Community

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Video of the Week: The Impact of a Caring Teacher

You’re receiving this newsletter because you are a KarmaTube subscriber. Having trouble reading this mail? View it in your browser. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe Video of the Week Dec 02, 2011 The Impact of a Caring Teacher Have you had a teacher who has profoundly affected your life? Based on a true story, this commercial, by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, beautifully depicts one such case: the story of Edwin and Mrs. Chong. Share: Related KarmaTube Videos Story of a Sign Boy With the Incredible Brain Learning to Fall They Call Me Birdman About KarmaTube: KarmaTube is a collection of inspiring videos accompanied by simple actions every viewer can take. We invite you to get involved. Other CharityFocus Projects: DailyGood // Conversations // iJourney // HelpOthers MovedByLove // CF Sites // Karma Kitchen // More Thank you for helping us spread the good. This newsletter now reaches 39,596 subscribers.

Inspiring a Life of Immersion

Each of us can work to change a small portion of events. And it’s in the total of all those acts that the history of this generation will be written. — Jacqueline Novogratz

~~~~ Good News of the Day: In this wide-ranging TED talk, Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of the Acumen Fund, shares stories of people who have immersed themselves in a cause, a community, a passion for change. Stories that remind us that our human inheritance is the capacity to live lives infused with courage, sacrifice, humility, and hard work – and the tremendous impact it can bring to others. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E525:C3009629A010612C17B89843680B993DB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Do you feel fully immersed in your life? Take 5 minutes to write down 5 things that help you find deep meaning. Incorporate one of those things into your life each day this week.

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Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications