In gratitude

Look at that little thing. It's available in gold or silver. I think I'm more a silver kinda girl, so I chose this one. Now, you might ask, what is it? Why is it there? Well, yesterday, I was astounded to find that my blog was chosen for a Thinking Blogger Award. Les' words brought tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart and a lilt to my step. I feel so honored. And I am so grateful. I am grateful that my blog means so much to her, and I am grateful to the bloggers I read who add so much to my own life.

It seems that I must choose five blogs which I haven't seen chosen before. That is the only reason Karen's and Les' blogs are not on my list. But since I can't choose them, I'll at least say that they are the two I always visit, the two I need in my daily life. Les, because, well, because she is Les. My husband calls her my little sister. We think the same thoughts, we share a common soul. And Karen, because of her kind and gentle spirit, along with a whimsical sense of humo(u)r that pervades her blog.

Here is what it says at the original meme.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).


The rules may be simple, but choosing just five blogs which make me think is not at all simple. I'm having to leave out some blogs that I have recently found and truly love and enjoy because I can't list more than five.

I'm listing them in alphabetical order by blog title except for the first two.

Dear Rachel
This is a blog I rarely read. I can't bear it, though I almost make myself visit because I want so badly to help this man in his grief and deep sorrow. Sometimes I can't read it because it is so very personal that I feel like I'm imposing on his life, but then I think he wouldn't write it on a blog if he minded someone reading.

Stop All The Clocks
This is a blog written by Les about the same young woman in the Dear Rachel blog. Again, I rarely read it, but I think it is so very important. I'm sure that both these blogs are of great benefit to those who have lost a child. Here is a place to go with that grief, that worst of life's tragedies. Here are two people who will understand, who are at the same place. They are both very, very difficult blogs to read for those of us who have children, especially daughters near to the age Rachel was when she died. We do not want to think of the horror that could come to us as well. Thoughts of our own deaths are as nothing compared to the late night worries and fears about our children.

Keep The Coffee Coming
I love this blog. It's the only "music" blog I visit. Every day there is a song. Mostly folk music, but often pop songs from my teen years. We are of an age, Kat and I, and she writes about my past and the music I know when she writes about her own. She offers incredibly evocative black and white photos which I look at so carefully.

Maude & Mozart
Laura may well be the cheeriest soul I've ever known in "real" life or online. Her joie de vivre literally leaps off the page. When I need a smile, I pop over to her blog. Her enthusiasm is a rarity; something we need more in this world. She is kind and giving to her friends and to perfect strangers.

The Quiet Country House
I have known the woman who writes this blog for a lot of years. Her writings are thoughtful and friendly, filled with love for her family and her home and her life. She inspires me to slow down, to quiet myself and look around with fresh eyes. Her blog is a soothing balm in busy, noisy world.