Yesterday I flipped the page in my calendar, so I could plan for next week.  I noticed that Wednesday at 1:30 I have a meeting with Andrea.  Immediately, a feeling of excitement and anticipation washed over me.

Andrea is the kind of appointment you look forward to.  She walks in the door and immediately pours herself into your exchange.  She notices your outfit, compliments your office space, and remembers to follow up on all the important details from last time you met.  Andrea shines because she is fully present.  She has all the same pressures as you and me.  She has a busy job with lots of moving pieces.  She is a mother, a wife, a sister, and a community volunteer.  She loves a sweet treat, likes the curly locks she was born with, but hates parts of her body and would gladly trade them in for someone else's.  Her days - like yours - are filled with ups and downs.  Andrea's life looks an awful lot like yours and mine, but her ability to be present and bring out the best in others is what makes her notable.

I get the sense, after reading the nomination for today's recipient of the Yellow Envelope Project, that Lori is the same way.  Check out what her nominator (and hairdresser) had to say about her:

"Lori Batchelor is an amazing woman. She is a woman of God, a wife, mother, nurse, a friend and an inspiration. Lori has been a client of mine for about 6 years and everytime she comes into the salon I take something away from our time together that I can apply to my daily life. She has overcome things from her youngest son's health issues to her husband's horrible motorcycle accident, with a conviction for Jesus and with the strength of hundred men. She does it all! She will lift you up with words of encouragement and then cook you and amazing meal! Lori has a passion for the nurses she mentors and even finds time to host an elegant Tea Party. This woman lends her heart to every life she touches. Her passion for her boys, her husband, her Lord, her job and her cooking are just a few of the reasons she SHINES!"

The idea that a hairdresser - the person from whom we all can't wait to receive attention - should actually anticipate a visit from a client, because of the attention she will receive, speaks volumes about Lori.  I can pretty much guarantee my hairdresser, Kendall, would never utter those words about me - never mind look forward to cutting my straight and fine hair.

Join me in thanking Lori this week for making the planet a nicer, warmer place to be.  Reinforce her strength, her interest in others, her positive attitude, and her generosity.  Help her see that those qualities are not only helpful, but that they are also inspiring.  Assure her you know a piece of her story and that mailing her a note is all the proof she needs to know that shining is worth the extra effort.

Participating is easy.  Write your note.  Seal it in a yellow envelope and write the words, "Yellow Envelope Project" in the top left hand corner.  Commit to sending your note to the mailing address listed below, sometime before next Saturday.  Then sit back and watch your anonymous letter of gratitude work its magic.  Watch as the world becomes a little brighter and the planet powered with just a little more shine.

Shining off until tomorrow...