This glaring disparity led the Salwen family of four, caught up like so many other Americans in this age of consumption and waste, to follow Hannah's urge to do something, to finally just do something. And so they embarked on an incredible journey together from which there would be no turning back. They decided to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half its size, and give half of their profits to a worthy charity. At first it was an outlandish scheme. "What, are you crazy? No way!" Then it was a challenge. "We are TOTALLY doing this." Each week they met over dinner to discuss their plan. It would transport them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. Along the way they would inspire so many others wrestling with the same questions: Do I give enough? How much is enough? How can I make an impact in the world? In the end the Salwens' journey would bring them closer as a family, as they discovered, together, that half could be so much more.
Warm, funny, deeply moving and wholly uplifting, The Power of Half is the story of how one family slammed the door on the status quo and threw away the key.
Synergy Beads is proud that Hannah owns a Oneness Synergy Bracelet. Her altruistic thinking and actions manifest the true meaning of Oneness.
The Power of Half is a Synergy Beads Amazon Pick!
Q&A with Kevin and Hannah Salwen (from Amazon.com)
Q: What made you decide to write a book about your family's experiences? And what is meant by "the power of half"?
Hannah Salwen: After we decided to sell our home and give half the profits to a charity, we began getting questions from friends and others about how they could do something like our family did. They didn't want to sell their houses (no one is that crazy!), but they saw how our family was taking action and had become connected. So we realized that we could help people understand that this is an amazing way to improve relationships within families while making the world a little bit better.
Kevin Salwen: As to "why half"--well, the concept of "half" provides a measurable way to keep track. When we think about charity, so many of us say, "I ought to do more." But "more" is so mushy that we don't end up doing anything significant. The size of the project doesn't matter; it can be as simple as watching half the number of hours of TV each week and using the freed-up time to make a difference in others' lives (and of course your own).
Q: In these trying economic times, how can we expect people to even think about giving more?
KS: These are difficult times indeed. But The Power of Half is a book of hope and optimism. The American Dream has always been about parents wanting their children to have a better life than they did, but it usually has been measured by social standing and assets. Joan and I wanted a better life for our children too, but our American Dream focused more on their inner selves than on their assets.
The Power of Half tells the story of a family that decided it can make a difference in making the world better--even, to use Hannah's words, if it's a small difference. We love the quote by Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop: "If you think you're too small to make a difference, you've never been in bed with a mosquito." The "secret sauce" for our project is that we did it together and over a sustained period of time, unlike many volunteer or giving actions, in which individuals head in different directions or work together sporadically. That unity brought our family a heightened awareness of one another's perspectives and energized us not only to want to do more work in the world but also to understand one another better.
At this time when people need to cut back on their spending, the time invested in family becomes even more critical. The Power of Half shows how working together builds a stronger family. True happiness comes from community, and family is the most core community we have.
HS: One other thing. Doing a power-of-half project doesn't require a ton of money. We decided to sell our house because it was a sacrifice we felt we could live with. But the power of half works just as well with lower-cost or no-cost "halves." We always explain to people that they can choose the clothes in their closet, the time spent playing video games, or the price of meals eaten out. Readers can choose their own "half"--it's all about the process.
Q: Why did you choose to support Africa instead of a project closer to home?
HS: We spent a year as a family deciding exactly how and where to use our money. It was a process, by the way, in which we kids had exactly the same say as the adults--after all, we were giving up our house too. It was interesting because my brother, Joseph, wasn't exactly excited about this idea from the beginning. He became our family skeptic, and we knew that once we proved something to Joe, we really had it right.
KS: While we had been--and remain--quite active in Atlanta (we volunteer often at the food bank and Central Night Shelter, and I have been on the Atlanta Habitat board for six years), after a series of family votes we decided to do this project in Africa because
• we view the world as a single community, a place where the luck of where you're born shouldn't be the biggest determining factor in whether you receive help
• there is no safety net in rural Africa--no Head Start, no food stamps--to fill critical gaps
• we wanted our project to completely solve a problem with a group of people, and since our money goes further in Africa, we learned that we could help entire villages build their futures
• we wanted something exotic, something that would take us out of our comfort zone. It was so helpful for our kids (and for us as parents too) to be "the other" for a little while, to recognize what it feels like to be someone born without the privileges we enjoy.
Q: Any other reasons The Power of Half is particularly relevant now?
KS: These times are extraordinary for so many reasons, particularly the competing moods of fear, change, hope, stress. Parents are feeling those emotions even more strongly (and it's even more acute with divorced or single parents). With our senses heightened, so many of us are rethinking our lives. The Power of Half offers readers inspiration and new tools to bring their lives a healthier focus, all wrapped up in an entertaining family tale.
Since Dr. Oz’s declaration, there have been many questions regarding Reiki. SO…… 
What is Reiki and How Does it Work?
Let’s start quite simple with the correction pronunciation: Reiki (ray-key) – with the emphasis on the first syllable.
Okay, you know how to properly pronounce it. Now, what is it?
Reiki is the Life Force Energy which flows through everything in life. It’s all around us, sustaining life itself.
The history of Reiki is uncertain, but the basis for modern-day practice may have originated in Tibet more than 2,500 years ago. Reiki was rediscovered in the early 1900’s by Dr. Mikao Usui, in Kyoto, Japan.
This gentleman was not only a Doctor but also a minister, a monk, a teacher, a reader, a researcher, a traveler, a meditator and a channellor. During a lengthy period of travel, research and deep meditations Dr. Usui found ancient texts that described Reiki and its power to heal by manipulating the energy fields that flow through all living things. From his studies, he developed what came to be known as the Usui system or more succinctly the Usui-Ryoho system of Reiki.
Okay, so that’s Reiki.
Just so there is no misunderstanding, you need to know
WHAT REIKI IS NOT:
Reiki is NOT a medical diagnostic tool
AND
REIKI does NOT provide services in lieu of a doctor
With that said however, there is a growing body of opinion that integrative medicine that takes advantage of all parts of the care spectrum as appropriate is more personally-effective, and cost-effective, than allopathic treatment alone (conventional medical treatment).
Reiki is not an INSTEAD treatment. It is to be used in conjunction, or along with, those medical treatments and procedures prescribed by your doctor.
THE WAY IT WORKS…..
ENERGY BALANCING
Reiki balances the energy of a person so they may heal more quickly.
The human energy system has three parts: the meridians (or energy pathways), the chakras (energy centers), and the aura (energy fields). Reiki is a form of hands-on treatment used to manipulate energy fields within and around the body.
Reiki influences all the human energy systems simultaneously in order to liberate the body's natural healing powers.
Everything in our universe is made up entirely of energy. Einstein formulated this knowledge in his well known equation E=MC2 (energy = mass x the speed of light squared). Light is energy, our emotions are energy, our thoughts are energy, our physical bodies and the physical world surrounding us are all energy. Knowing that our body is made up of energy fields, with the physical body as one of these, then it is easier to understand how the healing energy of Reiki works.
What we experience as disease, or dis-ease, whether emotional, mental or physical, are the manifestations of imbalances in our body. But the source of the problem can often be found in imbalances in our energy fields.
So what causes these imbalances? Our thoughts, emotions and attitudes play a huge role in the fitness of our body. Thoughts and emotions are energy. When we have pessimistic and negative thoughts, we create imbalances. We often repress thoughts and emotions because, well, quite frankly that is what we have been taught to do in our society. We are not supposed to show certain emotions or express our emotions or feelings and if we do then we’re supposed to feel guilty about it. It’s a catch 22 because in either case we create blocks in our energy system. Not all of these imbalances are self-induced, there are of course outside influences also, such as environmental factors that create imbalances: noise pollution, air pollution, water pollution, people pollution (you know, all those negative people you run into) & electro-magnetic fields – we’re being bombarded daily with all of this stuff and all of this stuff creates imbalances.
Reiki works on an energetic level. Our body is a complex system of different levels interacting with each other continuously. Where most healing methods work only on one level, usually the physical level (because that’s when we seek help, when we’re in pain or discomfort), Reiki works on all levels simultaneously and it balances on all levels wherever our energy flows are blocked so it may assist in healing the physical symptoms of the disease.
Copyright 2009. T Love. All Rights Reserved.
About T Love:
Reiki Master T Love enjoys her Gratitude Synergy Bracelet
Being a holistic health practitioner, T Love is an advocate and educator of natural health. As a Reiki Master (RMT) and Certified Sound Therapist (CST), T incorporates the use of Pure Silicon Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls into her treatments in both her private practice and in healthcare settings including: wellness centers, hospitals and hospices.
She is a writer and contributing editor for the award-winning spiritual magazine, Elevated Existence, as well as Natural Awakenings Magazine and is often called upon to speak as an expert advisor regarding Reiki, Sound Therapy and Living a Healthy Life.
T is also the host of the top-rated radio talk show, Energy Awareness, a one-hour commercial free show airing every Wednesday at 6 pm EST. Her show provides insight on spiritual and self-improvement topics, offering assistance, education, healing, and inspiration to all those interested in raising global consciousness.