Through the eyes of a volunteer

Do we ever have enough time? It seems as we always end up not finding the time to do the things we wish we had time for..One thing is certain, we all have the same amount and it's up to us to decide what to do with it.
Volunteering and reaching out to help others somehow end up in the bottom of our Wish List. We wonder, where to start...do we have what it takes? How can I find time to do it?
From my experience as a volunteer, once you start giving one hour of your busy week to care for others, you'll find out that it is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself. Suddenly, our own problems look less complicated than we think. We remind ourselves more often, how fortunate we are to have good health .
Every visit is different and we are always surprised by new experiences. Last month we visited a facility in Kahului, an adult care center.It was raining that morning, we were not sure if our animals would get wet, but we went anyway.We had a joyful morning and once again, were so proud of our animals, for doing such a great job , being so easy on the touch..
On the next visit , as we entered the long-term care facility, there was a feeling of uneasy distress. Not the normal welcome, it was one of those days...The nurses were running back and forth between the patient's rooms and taking turns wheeling one of them, who was having a bad day and had to be moved around.The other residents were also affected by it. Our visit lasted one hour and, it was at the end of it that we had a chance to see this particular patient, who was very disturbed.
She didn't need to pet an animal, just to spend a couple of minutes with our Director, who prayed with her and calmed her down. As our visit ended, we had a feeling that those last minutes was the reason we were there..
For the most part, are our therapy animals who do the magic! It is to them the patients respond consistently in a positive way. We watch how patients who deal with pain on regular basis, seem to forget everything else and enjoy the moment with the animals.
June 08 - Camp Imua ( summer camp for kids with special needs)started with a field trip to Piiholo Ranch - zipline ride and pet therapy.We gathered most of our animals, dogs, ducks, roosters, rabbits, and guinea pigs and spent the day there.We had tents, comforters and chairs ready or the campers. They arrived in groups and we were busy all day handling therapy animals to the kids.It was an amazing experience. Count on me for next year!

My Healing Story

Since I remember, I loved animals and I believe that all of them have a higher purpose than be our pets, transportation and food..animals are healers.

Later in life, I developed chronic anxiety. I was embarassed for being unable to explain or control an anxiety attack whenever it happened.

I thought I would just have to live with it, until I met Dr. Shannon Domingues and started volunteering with the Haku Baldwin Center's Pet Therapy Program.

Previously, I had known that being around animals was very soothing and healing, but I didn't realized that interacting with them, by helping other people on their healing process, was all I needed to get completely healed from my anxiety attacks.

I have been volunteering for two years and never had an anxiety attack episode since.

BIG MAHALO (Thanks) to Dr. Shannon and Alexis for welcoming me to the program, sharing all their knowledge and to all the pets, for touching everybody's lives around them, making miracles happen everyday.

By Celia Lumsden

Great discoveries and great teachers.

I believe we are living in a generation that is finding the answers to the most important existential questions we all have. My latest discovery is "Andy Andrews: The Seven Decisions" (Netflix) - It's excellent, I recommend it.

He says: "Successful people make decisions quickly, and change their mind slowly. Unsuccessful people make decisions slowly and change their minds quickly."

His seventh Decision is: "- When we persist without EXCEPTION, miracles happen."

Are we finally getting the message?
Every time we do something,
or don't, it matters..

Happy Father's Day!

Today we celebrate Father's Day!.. and Nature celebrates the first day of Summer.

Photos -National Geographic (Best pictures of 2008)

Thoughts about self judgement

About the movie "What the Bleep do we know?"

"If you can't control your emotional state, you must be addicted to it.."

..What always puzzled me, was how I could be so positive and uplifting on the outside and at the same time, be so negative about myself.

Honestly, I didn't like me very much. I had this wrong image of myself for a long time.

It doesn't matter how much I had improved in many aspects of my life, I used to look at myself with 'bad eyes".

We usually live today with yesterday's expectations.

It's easier than we think to change our minds about ourselves.

I used hypnosis to look at myself from the outside and worked for me.

Revaluating it, I love myself.

I hope you do too.

Do you?

My latest discoveries; hypnosis and Quantum Physics

It all started 5 weeks ago when I decided to see a friend of mine, who is a hypnotherapist.
My previous idea of hypnosis was as a stage show, some kind of "mind manipulation", never thought as a healing therapy.
My experience was a soothing and enlightening treatment.
Instead of being taken to a state of unconsciousness, (where you can't control or remember), your mind goes to a "state of alertness".
I wondered using my imagination ..

After the first sessions, I noticed a mild and continuous change in my behavior. My response to different issues of everyday life was balanced and stress free.
Just like that?, I reasoned.
Then I watched "What the Bleepy do we know?" (Netflix), and understood that Quantum Physics explains hypnosis , at least for me.

Quantum Physics is a science of possibilities. It acknowledges and studies God.

My favorite lines in the movie:
"Ask men to explain God is like ask a fish to explain the water it lives in ."

"It is like looking at yourself through the eyes of the Ultimate Observer."

" What happens in our minds, manifests outside of us."

Then I had a AHHA moment!.. hypnosis takes you to your "perfect place", and your mind can stay there, if you allow ..
I learned a lot more watching this movie,
For now, I'll leave you with that..
Aloha,
Celia

Through the eyes of a volunteer

It's been almost 2 years since I started volunteering with Maui Pet Therapy and I can honestly say that my life has changed with a great magnitude.
Being part of a program that brings so much joy and healing to the patients we visit every week, had changed my perspective of what is really important in life.
We all have something to give, a smile, a kind word...
Being around the animals has inspired me to go back to an old passion of mine, writing.
I wrote an inspirational children's book based on a true story of one of our therapy dogs, Mana.
Mana had been rescued and trained by Dr. Shannon Domingues, Director of Maui Pet Therapy, and now does an excellent job and is always ready to work.
Mana was abandoned along a roadside and had all the odds stacked against her and with love, dedication and training became a certified therapy dog.
Rescued animals are wonderful pets, once they are given a chance.