Mitzvahs for Mom

May was always a month that we celebrated my mom. We observed Mother’s Day together and my mom’s birthday fell on the last day of the month, May 31^st. After my father died I was aware that the first year of holidays and birthdays are often particularly  difficult.  On Mother’s Day this year, I had an awful cold and was in bed taking care of myself. I hardly cared what my own family did for me because I was feeling so rotten. Honestly, it made the first Mother’s Day without my mom less difficult. As my mom’s birthday approached I started thinking that it would probably be a bittersweet day as well. Then I got an idea. After sharing a post on Facebook about a girl who celebrated her 21^st birthday by doing acts of kindness, I wrote ” Who’s got a May birthday?” and then remembered my mom would have had her own birthday in May. So, I decided to coin my own holiday in honor of my mother’s birthday.

Ironically, my brother David and I were planning on meeting up in Las Vegas, that weekend while my son attended a Magic the Gathering convention so we’d actually be together on Sunday, May 31^st. We decided to treat my mom’s birthday as a day to do dozens of mitzvahs. We called them “Mitzvahs for Mom!”

I knew since we’d be in Vegas, staying in a hotel, I had to come up with some prepared ways that we could do mitzvahs rather than letting them be completely random like I did for my 1000 Mitzvah project. Also, I thought it would be fun to come up with things my mom would have loved! I brought some fun things I found at the dollar store, pads of paper and pens – my mom loved giving things to the children especially when she traveled. I also bought some plastic blow up balls for the swimming pool, because one of her favorite hobbies was swimming. Finally, I bought a star-shaped pad of sticky notes to write messages on, my mom’s middle name was Star!

First thing, I surprised the guy behind me at the cafe with a free cup of coffee. At breakfast, we surprised our friend Lisa who ironically shares my mom’s birthday and was in Vegas as well for the convention, with cake and a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.

We left quarters in every pay phone we passed. Did you know that it now costs $.50 cents to make a phone call? I had no idea.

I left several of the sticky note messages on bathroom mirrors in a few different hotel bathrooms as well as on a couple of housekeeping carts. I thanked the workers for their effort to keep everything so clean. Ironically, later in the day when I stopped at a Sephora store to buy something and let the manager know one of her employees had been really helpful she told me they love when people fill out the surveys about customer service because they work for “recognition not commission.”

I left the pads of paper and pens and blow up balls with the housekeeping staff on our floor after one of them told me several of the women had children that would love them.

My brother was excited to join in the fun and came up with the idea to give out ice-cold bottles of water to people on the street since it was 100 degrees all weekend long. This was certainly the most interesting part of the day. We decided to head to old Fremont Street rather than the Las Vegas strip to give out the water bottles because it’s a little less touristy. We opted to give them to the locals including the street vendors, a  costumed Sponge Bob character as well and some of the other homeless folks we passed along the way. Since it was 100 degrees you can imagine people were very happy to get a cold bottle of water. We only had a few bottles left when the security police cycled up to us and told us we’d have to stop because it was too risky to let people do this because who knew what we might have added to those water bottles. I guess it makes sense. My brother really wanted to make sure we gave away the last of the bottles though so the security police told us to walk off Fremont yo give our final few away. Now my brother and I definitely have a fish tale to tell about our day!

Overall, I’d say the day was certainly one where we tried to remember our mom. After my book came out, my mom joked when she died I’d have to do 2000 mitzvahs for her. Though we hardly performed that many mitzvahs it definitely was a great way to think about her and perhaps this will be a new May 31^st tradition for my brother and I, though I’d be perfectly fine if we were in Portland and not Vegas next year!

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Remembering Birthdays – New Year’s Resolution that’s fun and doable

Let’s face it most of us want to acknowledge the birthdays of our friends and family but it’s a hassle to run to the store and buy a card every time there is a birthday and sometimes we forgot to do it. Last week, fellow Toastmaster, Linda R. shared a great way we can remember and acknowledge all of our family and friends birthdays this year.

Here’s the idea:

1) Go to the store soon, this weekend or this week, with the list of all the friends and family you’d like to send birthdays cards to. Remember to buy a roll of stamps and pick up a few Get Well and Sympathy cards as well to have on hand during the year for the times you will  inevitably need them.

2) When you get home, label and stamp each card and use a sticky note to write the date on each card when it must be mailed to your relative or friend in order for it to arrive in time for their birthday.

3) Make sure the birthdays are also listed in your calendar with a note to send the card. Keep the cards in a convenient spot. Now when you see in your calendar that someone’s birthday is coming, all you need to do is write a note in the card and stick it in the mailbox.

Linda did mention that she spent about $100 the day she bought the cards, but it’s an investment for the whole year and likely what you’d spend anyway if you bought each card separately.

Good Luck! I think this will make a huge difference in whether we actually remember to send birthday cards this year or not.

Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2011!

P.S. I am extra excited this year because not only will we have a Bat Mitzvah to celebrate, we will have a 1000 Mitzvah book to celebrate as well. Expect it in bookstores by 11-02-2011!