Recently I wrote about a new book I read called the Power of Half.  It describes one family’s journey into the process of giving.  Thru their story, described by Kevin Salwen the dad and Hannah the daughter, you will find yourself inspired to look for new ways to give to those around you and the world. 

 One of the fun things about this book is Hannah shares many different activities to help individuals and families further explore the idea of giving.  Here are a few of my favorite:

- If you have young children in your family, check out Learning to Give.org, which shares service projects for youth workers.

-Challenge yourself to breakout of the American society’s standard accumulation mode.  A powerful quote by e.e. cummings to support your efforts. “To be nobody but yourself-in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you like everybody else-means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight”  

 -Would you trade togetherness in your family over stuff?  “In a world where we often have excess, what would happen if we all chose just one thing in our lives that we have enough of and gave away half?  Magic.  Think about it:  cutting in half the number of weekly lattes, the hours spend online, the excess blood in our bodies.  One trick we learned: sustained giving is more unifying.  We lived it over time.” From the Power of Half.

 How are you celebrating generosity?  We’d love to hear your ideas about giving and what you’re doing to reach out to others throughout the year.