Ten on Tuesday

Today's Ten On Tuesday topic is in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service -  
10 Things You Can Do To Serve Others.

1. Shovel for your neighbors. We've finally had a little bit of snow, and while it's not much, the frigid temperatures have created a lot of ice. I've cleared my 85-year-old neighbor's walks and salt has been spread.
2. Scrape your husband's car while he is getting ready for work. It was 5:30 am and 8 degrees, but I hope it got his day off to a good start. :-)
3.  Donate warm clothing. I cleaned out our winter gear crate, getting rid plenty of mittens and hats that we no longer wear and put them in the box provided at our library. I'm hoping maybe I'll be walking along Main Street and see some of the mittens I knit keeping a child's hands warm!
4. Provide food. Our local food pantry always needs donations, and it seems like people forget about them after the holidays. 
5. Smile and greet people. This one may sound silly, but when John and I take our walk, we've started saying "hello" or "good evening" to everyone we meet. It seems to take many people by surprise!
6. Put your phone away. I think this is a simple way to serve others by showing that you respect them enough to pay attention to them and not be distracted by your phone. 
7. Avoid and guard against gossip. I'll admit this is tough sometimes, but gossip can be really harmful to friendships, careers, and lives. 
8. Donate blood. Simple, relatively painless, plus you get juice and cookies afterwards!
9. Knit chemo caps. After my mother passed away, I looked for a way to mark her birthday. Knitting and donating a few chemo caps every year was good for me and our local cancer center always seems happy to receive them.
10. Support the ways in which others provide service. I have a friend that teaches in a very poor district, and she tries to provide warm clothing and supplies that her students just don't have. She lives 500 miles away, so I send her a check every year so she can buy some of the much-needed items. 

 “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable,

 to be compassionate, to have it make some difference 

that you have lived and lived well.” 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm sure you have all discovered this, but when you are useful, honorable,

 compassionate, and doing service for others, you will be happy.