Happy Monday morning.
If you are a long time reader of House of Shine then you might have noticed two things: first, that our website was down all day on Saturday and second, that we moved our weekly Yellow Envelope Project to Mondays. Saturday's glitch was the first time in four years that our site has been down all day, so I accept the mishap as affirmation that our new schedule was the right way to go.
We hope featuring our weekly winner each Monday, when most of us are back at our desks, proves more convenient when it comes to mailing your anonymous letter of gratitude in a yellow envelope. Not only is it the perfect way to start each week, but if you mail your letter by Tuesday afternoon then by Friday you can cross another thing off your to-do list - "Help power the planet with shine."
You see, we maintain that on every continent, tucked away in every country, state, city, town, and community, there are hardworking people who are committed to making their corner of the world a better place to live. These people don't earn big paychecks. They receive no fame or glory and are never booked for features on the Today Show, Oprah, or Ellen DeGeneres. No bust is being commissioned in their name and there are no plans to erect a monument on Main Street.
Instead these people leave a mark on the world for no other reason than that they shine.
Over the last year and a half that we have been recognizing excellence, we have learned something important. We have learned that people shine regardless of the job they have, the town in which they live, the salary they earn, or any other defining variable we can conjure up. Teachers, coaches, grandmothers, students, doctors, nurses, baristas, and neighbors are all examples of people who have been honored by the Yellow Envelope Project.
In fact, never will the accessibility of this honor be more clear than it is today - the day we feature a mother.
Not a particular mother, as is usually the case, but instead a mother you know and who you think shines. It might be your very own mother, but it might also be a colleague you work with, a friend, a committed mother who serves on PTA, or a friend's mother who you think is pretty great. You decide.
Rules of play are easy. Simply decide on the mother you think shines and then write her a short note letting her know why. Is she patient, positive, a great role model, generous, or a great cook? Or maybe she is ambitious, independent, funny, laid back and always up for a good time. Why you think she shines is not near as important as deciding right here and now that you are going to jot her a short note letting her know whatever the reason(s).
Once your letter is written, seal it in a yellow envelope (or a white envelope decorated with yellow stickers and markers) and mail it to her address. Keep it anonymous or include your return address. Next week, though, we will all be back to anonymous.
This week we forgo flooding one mailbox with yellow envelopes, so that we can fan out and recognize many moms who shine. I am still pretty sure that your one letter, arriving just day's before Mother's Day, will go a long way in brightening her corner of the world.
Get to it and start your work week off right.
Shining off until tomorrow.