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Joy Links-Appreciation Project
By karen | January 12, 2008Today is a glorious day! Today is absolutely one of my favorite days of the entire year. January 12–a magical and wonderful day, a day that I am enormously grateful for.
Today is my oldest daughters birthday. She turns 8 years old today.
8 years ago I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of something that would change my life. My dream was coming true. I so wanted to become a Mom again. I dreamed it, as in real live sleeping dreams. I dreamed it, as in letting my imagination run wild and visualizing it. I dreamed it as in it was what I wanted more than anything else in the world at that time. My dream came true! I am so blessed!
Not only that, the dream catapulted into something bigger than I could even imagine at the time. My one beautiful daughter was soon followed by two more beautiful daughters and I have my family that I dreamed of. I am blessed. I am grateful.
And in a few minutes I’ve got to go bake a birthday cake.
But first, I wanted to share some inspiration and gratitude. My friend Ritu at www.worknplay.net came up with this wonderful idea and it felt so good and it made me feel so happy that I wanted to do something similar here.
The idea is to post a comment Thanking someone and rather than linking back to your own site, link back to the site of the person you are thanking. Or if you they don’t have a website just say “Thank you” to the person you want to Thank publicly for all the world to see!
For example when you post a comment instead of putting your name you put
“Thank you, ______”
Then put your own email address
And where you would normally put your site address put the site of the person you are thanking or if they don’t have a website as usual just leave that blank. Then post the comment about your gratitude for this person.
So as I thought back on my blogging adventure, there are a few people who have really helped me, inspired me, encouraged me and more. I know that I have never expressed to some of these people how grateful I am. So today I will rectify that.
Thank you for the encouragement…..
Rick at Shards of Consciousness–I think Rick was the first blogger to link to one of my articles just because he liked it. I can remember being shocked and writing a comment on his blog thanking him. When I went back he had written that he was a “fan”. I was shocked and amazed and beyond thrilled! It was wonderful!
While I have said thank you to Rick for many things I don’t know if I ever expressed how much that particular validation meant to me.
Thank you, Rick (sincerely, from the bottom of my heart!).
Lyman Reed at Creating better Life.net - I met Lyman from the Personal Development carnival that he used to have every week.
Lyman has become a great friend and I love how he gives so much of himself to his writing and to others within the blogging community. Thank you, Lyman. You’ve helped me and inspired me so much a long the way! I’m grateful to you!
Priscilla Palmer at Priscillapalmer.com–Priscilla has been one person who keeps me blogging. She tells me that I am her favorite blogger. That means so much to me. When I’m not quite feeling inspired the thought of her is enough to keep me going. To know that someone really appreciates what I do means more than I can express.
Thank you Priscilla!
Craig Harper at Craig Harper.com/Motivational speaker–Craig inspired me from the beginning with his fabulous writing. I really enjoy his “style” as he calls it. When I first started blogging Craig’s blog was one that I would read and think “Wow, if I could just write half a well as he does”! Later on, he wrote a piece about becoming a writer (yes, Craig, I do want to be a writer! There is no work I love more!) that still inspires me when I think of it. Turns out that he’s not any more “educated” than I am! He just uses his talent very well!
Thanks, Craig for the inspiration!
Another writer who absolutely inspired me from the beginning and still does is Christine Kane at ChristineKane.com. Christine is an amazing writer. It seems that she can take even the most mundane subject and turn it into something that captures my attention and that I want to take the time to read. She is another whose talent is something I aspire to.
Christine, you inspire me. Thank you!
Aaron at Todayisthatday. Com. Aaron has helped me to “think outside of the box” and open up to growing and becoming more in many different situations and occasions, (especially on the “blogging” part of it). Aaron, you have helped me immeasurably.
Thank you, Aaron.
And of course, there are more….but since there is a cake to be baked, I’ll save it for another day.
And it is your turn…..
Post a comment and tell the world who you are grateful for.
Say “Thank you!”
(It will make you both feel wonderful!)
Links of Gratitude from the comments…..
Special Thank you’s to….
Vickie at Contemplate This
Lorraine at Powerfull Living
Jeannette at Good Vibe Blog
Priscilla at Priscilla Palmer
Lyman at Creating a Better Life
Carol
Liz at Successful-blog.com
January 12th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Vickie, thank you for helping me really understand the teachings of Abraham, and how to apply those teachings in *real* life. Your generosity when it comes to our “Abe Flix” arrangement has been outstanding, and Contemplate This is still my favorite place to go to learn more. While there are a lot of people out there who teach and talk about the Abraham material, you more than anyone have helped me live it.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Karen, thank *you* for this post… you’ve always been such a good friend, and have taught me so much along the way about love, persistence, and gratitude. I appreciate Live the Power and your friendship more than you know.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Thank you Lyman! and thank you for getting everything started here! I love Vickie’s blog too! It really is a wonderful addition for my “favorite spiritual teachers” Abraham!
January 12th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Thank you for appreciating my post and for the link. Also thanks for taking the time to visit and comment on WNP and making me feel I am a part of a community :-). Thank you so much!
January 12th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I want to say a thank you to our entire group of friends who help each other along by support, often a word of encouragement but mostly for being there for each other and making blogging so much more rewarding.
Love
Anja
January 12th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Thank you Lorraine for being the first blogger to reach out to me and help me better find my voice, and my audience!
January 12th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Karen,
I see that you’ve already got the gratitude of many people, but the truth of the matter is that I am EXTREMELY grateful to you, and I want you and the world to know it!
Reading your site keeps me in the constant state or remembering that when I write, it should feel GOOD and it should be something that I ENJOY. Since I write several times every single day, your inspiration is a large part of it all.
Thank you so much, Karen - for being a wonderful YOU!
p.s. - My birthday is Monday, so your daughter shares my Capricorn status. It’s a glorious thing!!
- Aaron
January 12th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Thank you Aaron! This is feeling so good and it is so much fun!
Yes, I agree your Capricorn status is very, very cool!
My daughter is way cool and You are way cool, too!
Must at least partially be the Capricorn thing!
January 13th, 2008 at 10:58 am
[...] The second is a neat idea from Karen of Live the Power. She’s also calling it a Gratitude Project, but this one is a little different. Usually, when bloggers and website owners leave comments on blogs, we leave the web address of our own blog or site along with our comment. But Karen is asking people to do something a little different. She’d like us to leave a comment about a blog or individual we are grateful for, and to leave a link to their blog instead of our own. It may sound simple, but it was so different to do… it really felt great! The neat thing is that, looking back over the comments that have been left so far, you can’t always tell who left what - it’s just a page full of “Thank You”s. I really encourage you to check it out and participate. [...]
January 13th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Thank You Jeannette Maw - one of the first people who congratulated me on what I was doing!
Thank You Karen - http://www.livethepower.com - you reached out to me and offered your knowledge and support - I am Grateful. And Thank You for this post - I am truly appreciating it!
Thank You Priscilla - http://www.priscillapalmer.com - you reached out to me - and included me in your fabulous Personal Development List - I was truly Honored!
Thank You Lyman - http://creatingabetterlife.net/ - for sharing your truths. I watch you as you uplift and promote others. Inspiring
Thank You Carol - no website - you are the love of my life — and I so appreciate you and the support you always give me!
January 13th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
[...] I visited Karen’s website at Live the Power and read and participated in her “Joy Links - Gratitude Project” - I recommend you visit and read all the Thank You’s that people posted - it was heartwarming…. And it was equally heartwarming to participate and anonymously send my thank you’s. [...]
January 14th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Many thanks for the inclusion on your list Karen,
I apprecaiet all the ways you have made me feel welcome as a newer blogg!
I also wrote a love links post at: http://www.powerfull-living.biz/blog/2008/01/14/gratitude-and-love-links/
You’re there!
Cheers,
Lorraine
January 14th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Thank you, Liz. Your You’re not a stranger anymore made me feel better than anything else I’ve seen in the blogosphere and helped give me the confidence to keep up with writing for all the world to see.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Thank you Karen. You have been a great inspiration to me and I truly appreciate your friendship.
January 14th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I appreciate you too Priscilla!
More than I can express…..
January 19th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
[...] Karen was kind enough to express her gratitude (and encourage others to do the same) in her Joy Links - Appreciation Project. Thanks again for that, Karen! [...]