King Size Candy

About a month ago I entered a blog contest for 10 king-sized candy bars. I won! Yesterday I got them in the mail. I love chocolate a lot and was looking forward to my package. When I opened it up there were only two chocolate candy bars...which is good because I was thinking that I would have a hard time if I had ten chocolate candy bars in my possession. So, I kept the Reece's for myself and gave the rest away. I left a package of skittles and a note in my little friends' wooden mailbox in her room. I say little friend because she is seven years old. I took several king sized candy bars to the place where I get my Physical Therapy and handed them out to the therapists there. It felt good to win something but it felt even better to share and make others smile.
p.s. This post was written a while ago but never posted so it's happenings are old but still good to share. :)

Snail Mail

Getting mail always makes me happy. And by getting mail I mean written letters or packages from my friends or family. Not bills or junk mail. Actually just not bills. Junk mail actually makes me happy sometimes. I enjoy cutting coupons I'll never use and dog earring pages of catalouges- things I like but will never buy. :)
Anyway, recently I went to the dollar store and bought some cards for 50 cents each. That and the stamp cost less than $1 to make someone smile. I sent a few letters, several small packages and one large package to people I miss, people I have needed to thank, and to people I was just thinking about. I even already got one letter back. What a surprise! I am continuing this project this week since there are so many people whom I could cheer up by sending them a note! In fact, if you want one, send me your mailing adress at srcappo@msn.com Or, if you want to help make someone smile, email me and I'll send you an adress of someone you can help by writing a not to. We can help each other! It's easy, cheap and takes only a few minutes!

Service by Proxy

What do you do when you aren't near the ones you want to serve? That is my focus for this next week. Internet, mail, packages, web cams; these are all good ways to serve people in other parts of the country or even further from us than that I will focus on my spin on each of these but my first suggestion is service via a proxy. In other words; sending someone else to do the service for you!
A couple of weeks ago I heard that a friend of mine in Utah broke his leg. He is in a lot of pain and pretty immobile. Since I am not there to do anything like entertain, bring meals or books, I turned to my friends and family who ARE there! Luckily I have amazing friends and family! I called up a friend and asked her if she would make my friend who broke his leg a batch of cookies. He is a big fan of cookies so I knew they would be appreciated!
My friends' first comment was, "if I have time," I knew she was busy and would do what she could. I looked to others to help out and got no response. I was contemplating making cookies and sending them in the mail when my friend called and said, "What's his address? I have the cookies and I'm on my way!" Wow! I was thrilled! She took the cookies over and gave them to his wife. He called me immediately to thank me! But I could not have done it without Piper! She went and served someone so I could feel like I had done something for my friend in need.
See how awesome service is? It affects so many people. How can you be sad and lonely when you are putting a smile on someones face?

Just Do It

This week I have been serving by watching my neighbors baby. He is one and a half months old. She brings him over at 7am and I watch him for an hour while she goes to an appointment. While some have warned me about getting too involved with this neighbor(because they feel she will take advantage of me), I say yes to her anyway. I am trying to get my back better but holding a little baby makes me happy. So although I won't watch him all day because of my back, I can take him for a little bit to help his mom out.

I have noticed that as I have been focused on serving others, not only have I been happier but I have received more service as well. My friend came to swim and swept my floor and took out my garbage first. A woman from church brought over a delicious meal which fed me all week, and I received a package in the mail from an old friend.

I am blessed and I have no doubt that it's because I am serving others!

My service tip for today: If you feel someone is in need, think about the need and then go do it. Often times when we ask, people don't want to be a bother so they say they don't need anything. They need you to step up and fulfill the need.

Music Soothes The Soul

Music has always comforted me and brought peace to my soul. When I am distraught I can sing myself some songs (usually primary songs) and it calms me down. I remember a particular time when I was struggling and a friend helped me heal with music. I had just gotten out of the hospital and she was taking me home. She pulled out a CD she had compiled and presented it to me. The label said, "Songs to remind you that God Loves you." I listened to the CD in the car on the way home and cried. I cried because I had forgotten that He really does love me. I needed those reminders and the spirit which came through those songs was so empowering. So lately I have been thinking about some people and some songs that may make them happy, calm them, or just let them know they are loved. I have been looking for links to share or songs to download. I found one song which I burned onto a CD for a friend which reminded me of her little girl and the challenge/blessings of raising kids. I gave it to her today. This to me is what service is all about. We all go through times when we feel like everything is caving in on us or we feel we are alone, or even just a bit overwhelmed.
I also shared a song with a friend last night via a link. The song is, " I Don't Understand" by Michael Mclean. This song talks about not knowing why someone has gone through something rough but showing that you love them and will support them even though understanding is vacant. I thought of one specific friend when I heard this song so I sent her the link. I am so grateful to many singer/songwriters who have put into song what I am feeling. I will continue to look for songs that make me think of people and share them as I was so grateful for that one CD made for me by a dear friend. I don't know if those two songs I shared made a difference to them, but I feel they will at least let them know I am thinking of them.
I would also like to take a minute to share a couple of services that have been rendered to me the past couple of days. I haven't been able to do my laundry because of my back and so the other day when I realized I had NOTHING left that was clean, I finally admitted that I needed help. A friend of mine came over and took all my laundry, which had been piling up for weeks, and did it for me. She has three small children and I know she is busy, but she took time to help me with something that, frankly, I was embarrassed to ask for help with. I look at those prefectly folded, fresh smelling clothes and my eyes start to tear up for the service she did for me!
There are more little miracles I see and it is important for me to look at them because it's easy to get down when my body is not working the way I want it to and I am in constant pain. So I think I'll wait to share the other ways I have been privellege to benifit from the charity of others. I love service. Since I started this blog, I am constantly thinking of how I can ease the burdens of someone else and that's what helps me get through rough patches of my own. You should try it! It's fun! :)

Spare Change

It's been a while. I have been working on several service projects this past week and they are not really turning out the way I want. So, today when I was downtown for an appointment, I lucked out and found a spot where I didn't have to walk far or pay a meter. So when my appointment was over, I found a row of cars parked at meters and deposited my spare change into the meters that had little or no time left on them. It was pretty fun.......I felt sneaky. There was a lady who was watching me and kind of smiled at me but no one else knew what I was up to. YAY!

Simple.....painless....easy....service.

Is it Still Service??

So the past couple of days I have been wondering what true service is. My thoughts are that service is something you do for someone that helps them out. I guess growing up in the church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). I was taught that you need to have a good attitude while serving others. While I believe this makes the giver of service happier, and can affect the outcome of the project; I question whether the service is valid if the giver does it grudgingly? I personally do not feel that I have done a service for someone if I complain about it later. If I don't really want to help and then do out of guilt or obligation, I am not receiving the blessings of service. Am I? Though I had hoped to reach a conclusion, I am still confounded.

So I ask you, Is it still service if you don't want to do it?

Does it somehow devalue the charity if you are compelled to serve?

So when I shared my lunch but didn't want to, or when I took my neighbor to the clinic, again after telling her no three times and then giving in to her, was that service? Or was I just being taken advantage of? If your parents make you stay home and watch your younger siblings for free is it service?

I am curious to hear feedback on this one!