S.O.S {Summer of Service}

Memorial Day 2011, kicked off the summer with a roaring start.

It was filled with the usual sights and sounds of summer, like watermelon, corn on the cob,

Barbecue chicken on the grill, Izze’s, potato salad, and swimming at the pool.

But this summer will be memorable for my girls not because of these things, but because of how

they felt doing something more than just entertaining themselves that day.

Oh, yes.

My girlies spent all morning, through lunch, decorating adorable

cupcakes and making fresh squeezed lemonade to sell at the pool in our ‘hood and

raise money for the Matilda Jane Habitat for Humanity House.

Go figure on a mucho HOT-HOT-HOT day, that customers were more interested in their adorable cupcakes than

the refreshing lemonade…and told us we should have charged more for them.

They were right.

{The girlies just might be able to take a piece of the pie… errr…cake in the cupcake industry.  ;)}

But  I digress…

They have been filling these MJC House of clouds banks (thank you, Ellen) for a couple of months now and are full of joy for their efforts… me too.

They have passed them around to all of their teachers and friends at school, had lemonade stands,

and little middle wants to forego gifts at her birthday party and have them

donate what they would have spent on a gift, to the cause.

Awesome.

But this lemonade stand was officially the first  project for our

S.O.S. {Summer of Service}.

My bosom friend Kelly and I were talking one day, about how we were excited for summer…

to be with our kids and to do a little MORE than we would normally do in ways of thinking of others.

I mean come on.

We all know summer is fully spent in thinking of how we can do things for our own

pleasure and enjoyment or working on a tan.

And the rest of the time, it can be filled with whining, tantrums, bickering, and boredom.

We have both been on the same wavelength (we do that a lot) of wanting this summer to be different.

This summer was going to be one where MORE time would be spent on helping others or making them smile.

This summer was going to be an S.O.S…. a  S.ummer  O.f   S.ervice.

Kelly had already come up with that name before we even talked and I think I just about jumped through the phone with excitement on how perfect it was.

{Kelly made that awesome logo… isn’t it cute?}

And she kindly obliged my idea to start a Facebook page and spread the word to other mom’s who might be interested in a change this summer, but maybe not thought of it on their own.

It will also be a great spot to share ideas and experiences and hopefully inspire each other to raise our kids to think outside of themselves and in doing good to all men.

So please join us, if you feel so inclined, in whatever way you can this summer.

Look for ways to work in a little something or a big something

as often as you can and come report… or not. 😉

I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with and how awesome it will feel to be

spreading some good-lovey-sunshine from wherever we are…

but together.

Now go shine and help someone else’s light shine brighter.

Because you know what happens when two candle lights are put together…

Have you done any good in the world today?

Let it shine,

Dana