Easter "Egging"

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since we started this MiteE Experiment in kindness.  The first official challenge was to go and Easter "Egg" someone.  We had so much fun "egging" others with kindness that we are excited to repeat it again this year.  Enjoy being creative about how you "egg" others.  Drop off an unexpected treat, a dozen eggs with dye,  or  Easter egg shaped paper with kind words written on them taped to their door.  Share what you did and you will be entered into our drawing for a $100 Walmart gift card.  Make this Easter "egg"ceptional by hopping on over to someone's house and  surprising them with a fun Easter treat.  Use this fun tag to explain why they were "egged".  Enjoy

MiteE Blankets

My Friend Dianne shared this story about the first project that she did with her MiteE Team.  She created a group to do service together.  This is her story of how their first project went.  Thanks for sharing Dianne, we look forward to hearing about more MiteE things that you are doing.

When I decided to form my own MiteE Team, I thought a lot about who I would ask to join with me to inspire, uplift and serve others.  I prayed for help.  I came up with a list of people who I know that are service oriented and motivated by positive contributions. I am drawn to others  who have talents and gifts in many different areas and are in different life stages and circumstances.  Many of the people I approached were ones that have blessed my life through service or have worked along side on different projects.  I had enthusiastic responses from everyone.  We were ready!

I had a team gathered, but I was having a hard time coming up with a kick off project.  One morning I prayed that I would be able to see a need and fill it through our project.  That day I got an email from the widowed husband of a friend of mine that had a 3+ year battle with cancer.  He was expressing his appreciation and love to those that helped, served and comforted him the last several years as they fought cancer.  At the end of his email he said that he wanted to do something to help others ease the burden of a chronic medical condition Degeorge Disease.  He has a grandson that suffers with it and wanted to bring comfort and hope to the support group of caregivers and the suffers of this disease.  He decided to make fleece blankets to give to all the people affected by Degeorge and the annual Christmas party.  Donations in time, fleece, and making were requested.  I knew I had found the project that I wanted to do! 

I called my team and gave them the details and we set the date and time which was earlier this week.  We had a great time.  We ended up making 16 blankets in 2 hours and had a great activity!

Making blankets...

MiteE Tough

This past weekend I was able to watch my son and brother participate in an endurance, obstacle race.  It was amazing to watch them as they ran 12 miles with 21 obstacles.  The day was cold and windy with sporadic rain to add to the already though coarse that they were running full of freezing water and mud.   Most people ran in teams and supported and helped each other to finish.  There were mud hills to climb that were easier to do when there was a team mate on the top to help you up.   There were other huge walls to scale that were almost impossible for some if it wasn't for the helping hands at the top grabbing them as they ran up.  It was fun to watch as my brother and son kept encouraging each other as well as other runners to keep going, they would lift others up walls and then be lifted by those behind them.  I was struck by the similarity that this is to life.  We are all on this earth running an endurance race full of obstacles and we all need a team of support to make it through.  We may be able to make it on our own, but as I saw at the race that day, it is more fun when you have a team to help you through.  I am grateful for the challenges that I have had in life, it has made me stronger, but I am also grateful for the friends and family that I have had on my team to lift me up and make my journey easier and more fun.  Let's all do our part in this life by encouraging and helping others through this life.  It will make our own burdens easier to carry.  Serve and your own load is lightened.

MiteE 5 Year Old

My friend Dianne, a member of the MiteE Board, shared this beautiful story of her son explaining the MiteE Team to his friend.  It was so cute I asked her to share it.  This is her story.  Thank-you Dianne.  

On our way to the "MiteE Moms" meeting, my 5 year old, Jonny, was in the back seat with his friend that comes to play with us on Tuesdays.  He was asking Jonny why we always went to a MiteE meeting on Tuesday.  Jonny's response was, "You see this cool shirt (his favorite shirt is the black MiteE t-shirt) I am wearing.  It is MiteE Team."  His friend then asked, "What is the MiteE Team?"  Jonny replied, "It is awesome.  It is pretty much helping other people.  We do stuff like sweeping up the street and picking up garbage, cleaning the post office for my mom, chopping wood to help people, and cool stuff, it is really fun."  

At that point my mommy heart was bursting with gratitude for the impact that the MiteE Team is having on my sweet boy.  He had just described our true mission, it is pretty much helping people.  So true!  I asked Jonny what service meant.  He said, "Service is being MiteE!"

I love the focus that MiteE has brought to our service as a family.  We love the weekly challenge and the opportunities we have seen and been given to help others right here.

Personal Rewards

I was busy last Saturday in my kitchen getting some things done while most of my younger children were playing up in their playroom.  A few of them came down to get some things and I started hearing some giggling.  My eight year old daughter was smiling and walking out of the kitchen backwards with something behind her back.  I asked her what she was doing and she smiled even bigger and said,"nothing", as she continued to walk backwards towards the stairs.  This really peeked my interest because anytime you hear giggling and have a child hide something behind their back with a smile, it makes you wonder what is up.  I insisted that she show me what she was hiding and she pulled out a paper with the MiteE team "You've been served paper".  She told me that they had cleaned the playroom to surprise me and then were going to leave the paper so that I would know that I was served by the MiteE Team.  It was cute.  I am grateful to my MiteE kids who have caught the vision of working together to serve.  This was my personal reward.  Thank-you.

Service is a Cinch

 What keeps us from helping others?  I think that we make it seem too hard.  There is a saying that says "inch by inch life is a cinch, but yard by yard it gets hard" this is true with service.  If we do it little by little service is a cinch.  Maybe someday we can work up to doing a whole yard of it and when you get to that point I would love if you would come and do my yard, you know my actual yard because that is hard.   Anyway, keep up the good work and doing little bits of service in your life.  If you want to change the world change yourself by being more aware of those around you and serving them even by just giving an inch.

Service Cake

Today I was inspired by my sister in law Laura.  She is a wonderful example of those talented people who make time to serve others even though their lives are busy.  She has a severly autistic daughter who demands a lot of her time and all of us would give her the get out of giving free card because she already has enough service to give to her own family.  This doesn't stop her though from doing what she can for others.  She is very artistic and loves to create things.  My favorite cards our homemade ones that she has designed herself.  She is also very good at making wedding cakes.  You name it she can create it.  To earn a little extra, she makes cakes for close family and friends.   She posted a picture recently to our MiteE Team web site and I thought "beautiful another cake from Laura".  and then I read her comment about the cake and almost cried.  This wasn't just another one of her cakes this was her service cake.  A girl in her neighborhood had wanted to learn how to make wedding cakes so Laura taught her on a cake that she was giving to another girl in the neighborhood who was getting married and couldn't afford to buy a cake.  That was a double service cake.  She shared her talent and her cake.  Thank-you Laura for sharing your talents and your story you made my day.