YOU MAKE MY DAY

Recently Karen Park of artandtea surprised me by honoring me with this very special award.

You Make My Day.

What a nice thing to say to anybody. The question is, how often do we do it?
A special kindness , a smile, a laugh, an unexpected compliment, a hug...all these gestures come and go. Do we tell those who add an extra lightness the joy it brought? I do not mean to be preachy here. It's just, well, I hope you do. We need to let those people know, even if it is just a passing acquaintance in a line at the store, the extra ease they bring to us, if and when they do. Light and love gets passed this way. Moments of the day are brighter for everyone involved.

So here are the rules: “Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about blogland! Beware! You may get the award several times!” Karen's blog is warm and inviting as a cup of tea on a cold Saturday morning. If you read her regularly, in fact, you will learn a heap about loose tea, its history and how to prepare it. Not only that, she is an exquisite beader -- embroidering, polymering and stringing baubles and dangles in delicious and inviting ways. As a former beader in all those forms, I admire her dedication and am inspired to make myself some new jewelry soon. I have five boxes of beads from that lifetime Im glad I never got rid of now! Karen, You Make My Day!

Blogland connects us to others by one click of a link. Leah Piken Kolidas connects us with her dedication to the creative act, by encouraging us to rethink how we view our creativity. Her blog came into my life at a time when I was feeling bored and discouraged with my art and in need of a big infusion. If you haven't done so already, join in her low impact challenge to be Creative Every Day this 2008. Leah, You Make My Day!

Fellow transplanted Midwesterner to California Kris Cahill shares my passion for the color red. Her abstract paintings are like the images I see when I close my eyes. Today when I clicked on her link to get her address, I found her sharing information about a wholesale greeting card company that might just spur me on to another level. Kris, You Make My Day!

I love watching Debi Cates hone her photographic skills by getting her readers involved in the process. I appreciate her requests for feedback and reading her readers' responses. Debi inspires me to be a better photographer. Debi, You Make My Day!

Im so glad that Sybil Archibald of Art of the Spirit writes about art and spirituality. She explores the intellectual process of her spiritual world in a way I admire and appreciate. There is often something she expresses that I have felt or experienced but never been able to articulate. I am an emoter and she is not. For all the times she has filled in those thought processes for me, I am grateful. Sybil, You Make My Day!

I enjoy multi generational bloggers too. Bobbie is Debi's mother, recently retired, and absolutely taking off with her new found skills in Photoshop. As her sort of self appointed teacher, I am proud beyond words on a regular basis. I know teachers aren't supposed to have favorites, but....
Bobbie, You Make My Day!

Diane Clancy was one of the first blogging artists to find me here on Blogger when I was still a fledgling and needing support. We became fast friends. It has been a pleasure for me to watch her taking giant leaps in exploring online marketing. For all the times you have been there when I needed you, Diane, I want you to know You Make My Day!

I love to be challenged by new perspectives and delighted by the innovative. John Mora's abstract renderings fits that bill for me, and now that I've discovered him I look forward every day to see what new fresh rendering he has offered the blog world. Besides that he has a dry, understated sense of humor that catches me every time. Learn how to type like a mon.key!
John, You Make My Day!

I grew up in Minnesota, so discovering artist Deb Kirkeeide of Painting du Jour was a special treat for me. I like her paintings of those scenes that bring back memories of my childhood, but I think she shines in her portraiture of animals. Deb, You Make My Day!

For my final recognition I want to thank all of you who come by here, read but never post a comment. Quietly, you make my day.