It is the day of the week when readers from around the country gather at the House of Shine to discover who the winner is for our Yellow Envelope Project.

More and more people are making the commitment to seal some love in an envelope and anonymously ship it off to a deserving person who is making a difference in his or her world.  

Some background for those who are newcomers...

The Yellow Envelope Project is dedicated to every day people around the country who Shine.  They shine because their very existence makes the world a better, brighter place.  They might make their corner of the world more compassionate, more inspiring, more hopeful, more vibrant, more socially conscious, more, more, more, more.  What these people have in common is that they more than fill their present space.  Their very existence, in some way, enhances the world around them.  

If you who has ever wished for the comfort of someone who could understand and soothe some of your pain then you will connect with today's recipient.  Take a look at what her nominator had to say:

"There is a woman in our church who recently recovered from hip replacement and is spending her time advising and helping others who are having this surgery.  She is a nurse and has a long record of volunteering for everything that needs a volunteer.  Luann recently gave  a talk at the church about her early life and how she lost her twins at birth.  She devoted herself to counseling other mothers who lost babies after that.  It is typical Luann.  She is bright and cheerful and close to her emotions.  'I can't help it, I'm Italian, she often says.'  P.S.  She went on to have more children who survived."  She is someone who could use an "ata-girl."

Shine Principle #4: Keep Perspective.  As a young woman Luann could have been swallowed up in the sorrow of having lost twins at birth.  Instead of fleeing from her pain, she embraced the fragility of life and became a nurse.  Years later she undergoes hip surgery and, again, instead of cocooning herself in a world of doctors, physical therapists, and pharmacists, Luann extends herself to others who are undergoing the same surgery.

Some people fall in line and dutifully follow along.  Others are born to lead the way.  Luann was born to lead the way.

Please join me this week in thanking Luann for allowing her pain to serve as a vehicle for relieving the pain of others.

It is easy.  Take 5 or 10 minutes and dig deep.  Imagine your Luann - the person in your life who you count on for that kind of comfort.  Then send Luann a short, thoughtful note listing all the reasons why our world is better because of her compassion, her empathy, and her ability to bring comfort in times of great discomfort.

Seal it in a yellow envelope - or a white envelope decorated with yellow markers or stickers.  Place the words, "Yellow Envelope Project" in the return address, attach a stamp, and mail it to the address listed below... by next Friday!

If you feel as good as I do after sending my letter each week, then make note to meet us back here again next Saturday.  We'll be here with the name of another deserving recipient.

Shining off until Monday.