Who Makes my Day?

I have been honoured by Deirdre at Writing Anam Cara (I love her blog name, because I know what it means... it means "Soul Friend", and the words resonate in a deep place within me) with an award that is being passed from blogger to blogger. It says "You make my Day" and she named me along with 9 (or did she mention 10? 11?) other bloggers whose blogs mean something special to her.

When I say "honoured", I really mean that I do feel honoured to be in the company of the people she named in her post. And I feel a bit overwhelmed when I am asked to select just 10 from all the blogs I check in with regularly and say that those are the ones that make my day. It has made my day over the past couple of days, participating in One World One Heart, and browsing around participants, to meet new-to-me blogs with something about them that captivated me. Some, I meant to just drop by, and found myself running back through archived posts, looking to see how did that blog start, evolve... learning more of the person who was sharing in their little corner of blogland.

I digress. Or perhaps I do not. What I am saying is that it is difficult. There are a couple of people whose blogs have been really important sources of inspiration and joy for me who have chosen recently to close down their blogs, or to take a break from blogging while they do other things, decide on direction, give their energy to new projects, so they will not be named here. There are many blogs I visit regularly and I am going to offer - in no particular order - ten that always make me happy to see a new post.

1...Christine at Notes from the Laundromat. She is going for her dreams. She makes wonderful wire art. She makes my day today when I read what she wrote about taking a big jump in her life: "Going for the gusto, the big dream requires taking a leap, walking into uncertainty and going with your gut, hoping that your intuition does not fail you and that you can hold on, trusting that God is faithful and will not let you wander too far off course.

2... Lisa Oceandreamer at Heart of the Nest. Because she too dreams big. And risks. And is generous of heart, of spirit, with her energy and time and art. And because she is responsible for One World One Heart.

3... Jessie, at Diary of a Self-Portrait. Because she is brave (even when she doesn't feel brave). And because she shares so many aspects of her life. She has a beautifully-designed blog, too. I love that painting in the bottom left corner. Gives me a feeling of loose freedom to see that when I click to go visit. And because she makes wonderful art. And loves dogs.

4... Julie Marie at Celtic Woman. She makes my day with the eclectic information she gathers and offers, the pictures and paintings and cards she finds to share. Her book-loving is infectious, and impressive, and her sense of humour is wonderful.

5... Cate at Kerrdelune offers photographs and words that always allow me to sink down a little more towards a place of peace and calm. She is wise and my words are absolutely inadequate to describe the oasis that is her blog.

6... Fran at Sacred Ordinary. I believe hers was the first blog I began to read, and it was through her that I found my way to the Artist's Way group for which I decided to set up my blog. I love that her blogging is part of her spiritual practice, and that one day she can have a post addressing a deep philosophical question, followed by the "ordinary" details of her day, followed by some piece of beauty or, as this week, an account of a reading by Mary Oliver which transported me, and had me brushing tears from my cheeks.

7... Liz at Be Present, Be here. Because she is loving and kind, open and willing to be however she might be. I love her enthusiasms, love seeing the fabrics she is so excited by at the moment on her blog.

8... Lisa at Groggy Froggy. She makes wonderfull dolls. She is another believer. And she is a SoulCollage sister, and her blog makes me happy. Her happiness with her Patrick makes me happy.

9... Becca at Becca's Byline. She writes beautifully. She's started up a wonderful bookish blog lately, called Bookstack, too. One of the things that really makes my day about Becca is the generous, encouraging comments I see her leaving on so many people's posts for Sunday Scribbling.

... and, although she's on a blogging hiatus in order to make some inroads into her own personal bookstack, I'm finishing this particular list with

10... Amber at The Believing Soul because she is feisty and brght and irreverant and real and because she absolutely adores her kids and is so proud of them and writes wonderful stuff that lifts my heart.

Whew! And the amazing thing is... these are a few of the wonderful, amazing (oops, just used that word twice!) women who make my day so often. By being there, by turning up here, by offering a few words just when I need them, by being believing mirrors all. I know that many will have been awarded the "You Make My Day" badge already, in some cases many times over, but that doesn't matter, because no matter how many other people have already said it, I want to say it here to each of them.

........You Make My Day.......