The week started with a bang on Saturday morning at Agape Toastmasters. The theme was Servant Leadership, a topic I'm very interested in exploring yet intimidated by at the same time. My understanding of servant leadership is going through a revision process. I used to think servant leaders were people like Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Ghandi or Mother Teresa. But since I've been reading Edwene Gaines book, Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, I've also been challenging my concept of giving and being of service. My new understanding is that each person is born with a gift and an opportunity to hone that gift.  In order to be of service, it is our responsibility to share that gift. Here's a video of what servant leadership means to me at this time. During this fabulous meeting we also had two speeches. One was about the terror that lives in our collective conscious and why we need to heal that terror if we ever hope to have peace. The speech was titled "Osama in My Heart" by Florentine Christian. The second speech was by Michael Maitre on the topic of how when we become our authentic self, we are of service to others because we expand our ability to give and receive joy and compassion. My mind was spinning with the thoughts of what all this meant and I had to contain the fear welling within me, the resistance to truly absorbing and acting on this information. Choosing to be a servant leader seems like a big scary job...at least if you listen to the ego. But I think many people have realized that being a servant leader can be a joyous adventure. That seems to be the case with Tanner.

Just a few hours after the Agape Toastmasters meeting on the topic of servant leadership I was in attendance at a memorial service for a young man named Tanner. Tanner was an avid fan of the Los Angeles Kings and a lover of life in general. His zest for life seemed to have the power to impact people who've never even met him. In attendance at the memorial were more than 200 people who were in some way connected to Tanner's life. Of course there were family members and friends but also a large number of Los Angeles Kings fans who did the majority of their interaction with Tanner on the on-line hockey forum Lets Go Kings.com or at events related to the Los Angeles Kings. Tanner was born with a genetic disorder called Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD) that had him in and out of doctor's offices and hospitals for much of his life. Yet most people weren't even aware that Tanner was sick. His optimistic, joy-filled attitude in the face of adversity inspired everyone, even me. Though I never had an interaction with Tanner directly, I saw the behind-the-scenes support and concern that built up for Tanner on-line. I became involved in his life through the stories my husband told me and at some point, I found myself attached to Tanner and concerned for his well being. Attendance at Tanner's memorial service was emotional to say the least. Sniffles and sobs could be heard near and far and tears welled up and streamed down many faces. Tanner is a symbol of living life to the fullest of contributing joy to people's lives and making everyone you know feel a little bit more love and awe for life than they did before they met you. It seems to me that Tanner was a servant and a leader but he never intended to be either. He was just a guy who really knew how to enjoy life regardless of the circumstances and that is the paradox of servant leadership that I'm trying to grasp; how you can be of service while also having the time of your life every day? The best place to start is with a dance party on the weekend.  Since I discovered that my way to be of service is to have fun, share music and put other people at ease, I have invited a handful of friends over to have a dance party in my living room. Last night I did a little bit of music shopping as I plan to put together a playlist for the evening that will evoke a carefree, empowering, "I am Galvanized" feeling. Part of my music shopping took place over at Party Ben.com Party Ben has a real knack for mixing tracks from different genres and generations and creating a fun powerful final product with a great beat. Of course my all-time favorite is his Galvanize the Empire mix. This week I also spotted a few new favorites including This Tightrope's Made for Walking and the Calvin Harris - I'm Not Alone (Party Ben's Alone in Baltimore mix) Although the party isn't until tomorrow night, already the women I've invited are excited, smiling, anticipatory and ready to enjoy an evening of fun and freedom. Just goes to show that "being the light" isn't all about wearing robes, burning incense and sitting cross-legged on the floor. I'll share more about the Girl's Night Dance Party and the music in next week's Galvanized Facebook Friday.