The Ghouse Journal - Opinoins, News Analysis and comments on current affairs

A peace maker constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. His or Her words and actions do not make things worse, but bring some sense and understanding to the situation. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation.

Thank you for joining me in celebrating the life of Najma Ghouse on Sunday, June 29, 2008. Here is the brochure, and the thoughts shared by our friends will be in part II.

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The world is a better place today because each one of us is willing to work for it. If we want a better world, let's take the responsibility and not look toward any one, nor keep a count on what others do. Let's simply focus on doing what we need to do.

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VOLUNTEER YOUR SERVICES

We go through day-to-day without realizing how much we owe to many nameless faceless people, collectively called volunteers. They help and touch our lives unbeknownst to us and without a charge. We can never repay them individually, but we can honor them by extending their services by volunteering ourselves. The gift of time is more personal than the gift of money. To begin with please commit two hours a week to serve others, especially the people we don't know. It will enrich our lives with a personal satisfaction deeper than pleasures of material things.

The purity of service and the un-adulterated joy becomes a reality when we serve humanity for the sake of humanity, without regard to race, religion, ethnicity or culture that erect artificial barriers amongst us. Selfless volunteering makes us worthy of God given blessings of joy and peace.

If you wish to volunteer for the following organizations, please check the box.

[ ] Senior Adult Services For 30 years Senior Adult Services has assisted seniors and their caregivers with information, meals, transportation, home repairs and medical equipment—practical solutions to many of the common challenges of aging. Last year 395 volunteers gave 16,752 hours to help seniors live better. Volunteers may choose a regular schedule or do specials projects, but either way they both enrich the lives of seniors and enjoy experiences that are challenging and fulfilling. Gayle at 972-242-4464 or go to www.senioradultservices.org for more information.

[ ] www.metrocrestsocialservices.org. You are invited to volunteer in Metrocrest Social Services' Thanksgiving food distribution program on Sunday, Nov. 23. Volunteers 16 years old and older are needed either 1-2:30 p.m. or 2:30-4 p.m.; to sign up, please contact Dana Wilson at 972-446-2100, ext.19 or dwilson@metrocrestsocialservices.org. Other volunteer opportunities are available on Metrocrest's website. This is to honor Najma for her volunteerism.

[ ] Dallas Peace Center The mission of the Dallas Peace Center is based on a vision of reconciliation: to promote education, dialogue and action for peace and justice. Those interested in volunteering may contact Daniel at office@dallaspeacecenter.org or call 214-823-7793.

[ ] Keep Carrollton Beautiful is a catalyst and community liaison making Carrollton a cleaner and more beautiful place. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to empower Carrollton to enhance our community environment.

Since 2004, we have held 48 public events utilizing 5,150 volunteers. Our programs funnel energy and money into community improvement in partnership with Carrollton’s public, private and civic groups. Our leadership is a volunteer Board who work in all aspects of the community.

[ ] Jobs with Justice is a coalition of union, church, civil rights, student, and community activists. We meet at 7 PM each 2nd Wednesday in the basement of Oak Cliff Methodist Church, 547 E. Jefferson in Dallas. Our web page is www.labordallas.org, where one can find recent and upcoming activities.

[ ] Al-Shifa Medical Clinic/Domestic Violence Program: The clinic provides free medical services to uninsured residents of Dallas-Ft Worth. It is located on 7600 Glenview Dr, Richland Hills, TX 76180. The clinic is open on weekends between 9 am to 12:30 pm. We provide services irrespective of color, creed, religion, or ethnicity. The clinic needs volunteers during the weekdays to set up appointments, and on Sunday, to assist in office work. We also need help in our domestic violence program assisting the Program Director on various tasks. Talaun Thompson, - MCC for Human Services at 817-589-9165

[ ] Foundation for Pluralism Our mission is to encourage individuals to develop an open mind and an open heart toward their follow beings. If we can learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the 7 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. We believe that knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of a different point of view. Through workshops, seminars and conferences we hope to create a culture of acceptance of others. Mike Ghouse – Mike@FoundationforPluralism.com

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Thank you.

MikeGhouse@aol.com