Ripples v10.34: Adding Life!

Ripples v10.34: Adding Life!
August 25, 2008: a free weekly splash to 20,433 subscribers
from Paul & The Ripples Project

__PEBBLE _________________________________

We are here to add what we can to life, not get what we can from it.
-William Osler, submitted by Kathy H., Milwaukee WI

__BOULDER _________________________________

What we have done for ourselves
dies alone with us;
what we have done for others and the world
remains and is immortal.
-Albert Pike, submitted by Josephine R., Wisconsin

__PONDER _________________________________

This week some remarkable student leaders at Michigan Tech. University completely freaked me out and I may not recover.

Ever.

MTU's 2008 Summer Reading Challenge selection is "Three Cups of Tea," by Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber who got lost on an expedition and stumbled into his life's mission of building schools in remote Pakistan & Afghanistan. Just before lunch on the day I spent with them, I mentioned Greg's fundraising struggles and challenged them to raise as much money as they could in over their lunch break.

I was confident that collecting a few hundred dollars would create a good sense of "look what we can do when we focus our energy." When we re-assembled after lunch, a plastic container filled with cash was handed to me and when it was all counted and sorted they had transformed a lunch hour challenge into $2,915.62. In just a few hours!!

What struck me most about this remarkable feat was how excited they were by their accomplishment. After spending many long days of training and preparation, they honestly had looked a little worn out when I initially greeted them in the morning. It appeared this profound act of ADDING LIFE to others re-energized their own spirits even while they were unselfishly helping others. How Ripply, indeed, to re-discover that helping others has great benefit to the helper too.

I am stealing a word someone just used on my Facebook wall: Michigan Tech students are FRICKMAZING and I hope you can let them inspire you to take some action this week to ADD LIFE to others.

If you would like more information:
Greg's book: http://ThreeCupsOfTea.com/
MTU students' fundraising feat: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/ttoday/previous.php?issue=20080825

Peace,
Paul
P.S. If you want to pitch in, send a check made out to CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUE and mail it to Ripples for CAI, 1360 Regent St #342, Madison WI 53715. The Ripples Project Foundation will MATCH all checks received by the end of next week and forward them to Greg!

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