November is Military Family Appreciation Month

Imagine a normal day. You wake up, grumble about not having enough sleep, and reluctantly get out of bed. Today your day is routinely filled with work, errands, and other ordinary tasks. It’s nothing you would consider special.

Between grocery shopping and getting the oil changed in your car, you have a laundry list of things to accomplish and Junior has a soccer game tonight. And that’s all before you have a chance to get dinner on the table.

A typical day for us is filled with seemingly mundane tasks that really are quite amazing when you compare to what other families - across the country, across town, across the street - are going through.

I’m talking about military families.

I’m talking about the families that live through all those mundane tasks but have much higher hurdles to clear. Each situation is different but they all hold a common thread; a spouse in the military.

When a serviceman or woman is deployed their spouse has to keep things together while they are away. They pick up the reins for every imaginable task. Household chores, wiping noses, paying bills, playing with the kids, vehicle maintenance…. every last project falls squarely on their shoulders.

In 2012, military families across America, more than 900,000 children experienced the deployment of one or both parents multiple times.[1]

When the a military member is not deployed, their spouse is subject to the schedule given to them; countless hours of PT, missions, and all the military work involved. In some cases, the spouse is forced to leave their job - reducing their household income - due to relocating, having children, no childcare, and other reasons.

Military families (also known as "dependents") endure quite a bit of moving, too. Transferring from base to base can raise lots of challenges. Each new place requires learning the area, finding and making new friends, and countless other adjustments. Their lives are filled with change and uncertainty. And if there are children involved (usually there are), it creates instability sometimes leaving them feeling insecure.

A 2012 demographics report states active duty members with children shows 42.4% of those children are between the ages of birth and 5 years old. [2]

Military family members are faced with bittersweet moments too. Junior takes his first step and they can’t revel in the moment like you and I could. The excitement and thrill of this new feat can easily be followed up with a longing for the service member missing from the moment. And we’re not even talking about holidays.

Dependents are the built-in support system for our military members. They offer the connection to home, offering their love and a letter right when the troops need it most.  But it doesn’t stop there, military family members are there when those in service returns from deployment. They are the ones who help pick up the pieces. Like a behind-the-scenes crew, trying to clean up the mess and sometimes at a loss as to what they can do.

Military families are the backbone of this country.

They are constantly adjusting to someone else’s schedule and agenda, they pick up and move at a moments notice. And often they sleep in a half empty bed with a cold, vacant spot waiting for they deployed. Military spouses pick up every last toy, fold every last sock, and wipe every tear. They do whatever needs to be done and often they do it alone.

When I think of military families I think of strength, resiliency, and courage. I think of patience and an undying support system.

I also think of the heartache and sacrifices they make. Not an easy thing to do. Friends are often hard to find and keep. And most often relatives live far away - so I have to ask, who supports them.

During Military Family Appreciation Month, I want you to look beyond feeling gratitude for the mundane task you need to get done. I want you to reach further than recognizing the ability to lay your head down at night feeling utterly safe.

I want you to look at the people who support our military on every level imaginable.

Make an effort to show your appreciation for military family members. It might come in the form of dropping off a casserole, helping them plan a budget, fix a painted shut window, getting them a massage (it is free for you to do, just send them to this link), or offering to take their kids for a few hours. Look at the many ways you can help out and DO it.

So, in honor of Military Family Appreciation Month, we’d like to say thank you to all the military families who are on the front lines of supporting the men and women who protect us.

[1] DoSomething.org

[2] National Military Family Association

Honoring the Victims of the Newtown Tragedy

What can I do?

I've stayed away from the news when this story broke, and for the weeks that followed.  I'm probably one of only a few people that doesn't know a thing about the shooter, and I refuse to learn even his name.  As a mother of two young children, I couldn't bear to hear about what happened in Newtown.  I wasn't going to write a post about this story, but there is a movement that has come about as a result that I would like to shed some light upon.

#26acts or #26actsofkindness

The idea is to challenge people to bring some positivity into this world by asking them to do 26 acts of kindness - one for each person who passed as a result of this tragedy.

Here is my challenge for you.

Don't stop at 26 good deeds. Continue doing them throughout 2013 and beyond.  Make doing nice things for others on a daily basis your way of life.

Need some ideas on what you can do?

• Leave a larger tip than you normally would for your server
• Pay for the toll of the vehicle behind you
• Offer to purchase a coffee for the next customer in line
• Smile at the next person you see
• Volunteer your time at a charity that speaks to you
• Help out your neighbor by shoveling their sidewalk when it snows, helping them bring their groceries in...

I hope you take on this challenge and together we can all make 2013 a positive year full of kindness.  If you want to, you can let us know what you are doing by commenting here, or commenting on our facebook page.

Making a Donation and Feeling Good about it

Yesterday I dropped off a big box of school supplies to School District 89.

I felt very proud of everyone that brought in a few supplies to help out with Melrose Muscle Therapy's supply drive.  Part of Melrose Muscle Therapy's School Supply Drive was a contest. 

There are many winners.  First, the students who will receive the free supplies.  Second, the winner of the raffle (who wishes to be anonymous) has won a free 60 minute Hot Bamboo massage.  Third, the teachers and faculty of Sacred Heart School in Melrose Park, who have been chosen by the winner to receive a day of free massage.

 

I love being a part of my community.  It always feels good to know that we are making a difference, and I hope you feel the same way.  Do you want us to help out a specific charity?  Let us know.

Massage and World Peace?

A client gave me quite a compliment today.  He said, "If you could find a way to clone your hands, there would be world peace."  Wow!  I was taken aback but such a generous comment.  Interesting enough however, he is not the first one that came up with this idea. I had read something very similar to his wording online just a couple of days ago.  A celebrity in the massage world, Cherie Sohnen-Moe, recently wrote a blog post on the WIBB site.  You can see her full post here.  If you don't know who she is, take a moment to find out.  You will be glad you did.

So am I really contributing to world peace each time I give a massage to someone?  Perhaps I am.  Here's to world peace.

Helping Students in Need with School Days Supply Drive & Contest

I remember at the end of the school year during my time in elementary school, the teachers were always scrambling for supplies.  We always seemed to run out of paper and chalk and pencils before the year was over.  I vividly remember one year it was October and we didn't have any orange paper left in the entire school.  No pumpkin craft.  We were pretty disappointed kids.  There was another year where we ran out of chalk in each of the classrooms and I remember my teacher purchasing her own to bring in to school.

My elementary school has since closed down, but there are a few schools still in the area.  With state budgets cutting back on school budgets, I figured this year we should do a supply drive for District 89 students and teachers.  To make it a bit more fun, I've included a two part contest as well.

http://www.melrosemuscletherapy.com/Contest.html

I asked the local school district what their wishlist was, and the number one thing on their list was a surprise to me.  White uniform shirts.  Second on the list - socks.  So if you are shopping one day and you see some uniform shirts on sale, please pick up a few, and bring them in, any and all sizes for the kids.  For a complete wishlist, visit the link above.


When you participate, this is what you will get in return- (besides that warm fuzzy feeling) a chance to win a free 60 minute Hot Bamboo Massage.  You also get 10 minutes added to your current massage session and a free Hot Bamboo upgrade to your 30 minute appointment this month.  Oh, and one more thing, if you happen to be the winner of drawing, you also get to pick an area elementary school at which Melrose Muscle Therapy will provide the faculty and staff a day of free massages as a 'thank you' to all they do. =)

Giving and Getting

I have always been involved with helping charities all of my life. I knew that I would make charitable giving a part of my massage business. I have found that it is also a great way to do some of my marketing - since the best way to get a new client is to get your hands on them. Here are some of the things we do at Melrose Muscle Therapy:

1. We give gift certificates for raffles (30 min treatment for free and the client is able to upgrade to one hour for a small fee).
   
2. We volunteer our time to give free massages at charity events such as Relay for Life (each person that gets a massage, is given a promotional item with a coupon)
   
3. We also get hired to help raise money for charities. We have a program where we give chair massage at a charitable event, and 70% of what we are given goes straight to the non-profit. The 30% that we keep usually is just enough to cover any costs associated with being at the event, paying my employees, and other materials. (each person that gets a massage, is given a promotional item with a coupon).
   
4. Every year on our anniversary, we hold a fundraiser. Our first year we did a fundraiser for the National MS Society - Greater Illinois Chapter complete with raffle, chair massage, and bake sale. All raffle prizes and baked goods were donated. This helped get the word out on other businesses as well as our own. Creating a community.
   
5. Just joined Hands for Heroes. We give Veterans free bodywork as a thank you for their service. I have Gift Certificates available for 30 minutes of our Signature Therapy which Veterans can use one every 6 months. I limited it so that we can give as many Vets a chance for free bodywork as possible. During the rest of the time, they are given 10% off all treatments.
   

I also limit what we support as a business. I listen to my clients as to what non-profits they support and see how I can support them, and also any fundraisers that may be happening in my community.
By doing this, we are not only doing good in our community, but we are also getting our name out there to people, creating a brand awareness that advertising dollars won't achieve. You feel good about giving back, and people will feel good about spending their hard earned dollars with you. Win – win.