Pickin' and Grinnin'

Here's the deal friends. I am up to my eyeballs in preparation for first day of school arriving this coming Thursday. And while I (of course) have a lot to say, I have no time to say it, at least not this week. Don't cry for me though, strangely I thrive on this kind of madness and chaos and find myself grinning ear to ear as I work the long hours.
You can cry though for yourselves if you want to. And okay, you can tell me just how much you miss me, and my charm, wit, grace and photography this week. That would make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

BUT.

While you wait for me to generate some sort of masterpiece-ical post, do this for me won't you?
Pop over to see Lilacspecs at her place and read this piece.

Why you ask? Because it just got a perfect post award. From me.

Go see why I love it so, and then tell her you love it too.
She'll feel all warm and fuzzy inside, which she will really, really like. And which she totally deserves.

What are you still doing here? Go there. Go on now. GO!

Look here or here for more of August's posts of perfection.

Magic Words

I try not to take myself too seriously.
I am not often successful in this endeavor.
I tend to read too much into things. I lean toward the over-thinking regarding any given situation; I over analyze most everything I do or say. Or write.

So, after weeks long agony over whether I should/shouldn't would/wouldn't share the news about four-year-old Andrew's recent autism diagnosis here at the blog, I settled (in a moment of zen) on doing so in a most unconventional way. I wrote it, I published it, and then I fretted over it.

I didn't need to.

The response to that post was in a word: incredible. I have been moved beyond words by the outpouring of support and understanding, both in the comments section and via email which many friends and readers reached out with. It was the safety net I was looking for to catch me as I struggled with what it all might mean, for him, for us, for life.

And then, in only the way the blogging world can, I received accolades for the post.

First, Kelly of Kellyology awarded the post with this:

Which was followed up by a reader's vote choosing it as the winner of Most Evocative Haiku at Leslie's Haiku Buckaroo contest.

Beyond that, it was also awarded an Honorable Mention overall in the same contest, being selected by Jami of Not That Different, the contest judge (and original reigning queen). She had this to say of the poem:

"In terms of evoking the emotion of a moment, this haiku is almost perfect.

It’s a 17-syllable short story that rocked my world, too."

Now I ask you, with that kind of heady praise and acknowlegement, how can I not take it seriously?

The thing--the absolute thing--is that in the beginning steps of this journey I am buoyed up by the support around me. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for that. As we move along this road, I am quite certain I will be using this moment in time as a touchstone for steadying myself and moving with a more sure step. With everything I have and everything I am, I want to give my son everything I am able.

After all, he gives me so much.

Does This Spell Anything?

P is for perfect. Or at least pretty darn near. If you are not a blog hopper and therefore missed the song of motherhood over at Brillig's place this month, then you must drop everything NOW and go forth to read it. And more to the point, if you are a blog hopper and you read it before, I simply must insist you drop everything NOW and read it again.
Among other simply perfect things she says in her piece In the Still of The Night she whispers this line:

"But in those sacred hours of the night, while “important” people are sleeping, my little baby and I share powerful moments full of love, peace, and serenity—things that society doesn’t give him but that perhaps one day he’ll give to society. As I rock him, I tell him who he is, I tell him who he can become, I tell him who loves him."

A bit of writing which brings tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat even as I cut and paste it from her blog page to mine.
It's simply a can't be missed post. A perfect post. And it deserves this:

Brillig, ya done good, baby.

(P is also for postscript. That is this: More perfect posts for October can be found at Lindsay's or Momma K's. Just thought you should know)

F is for first. Meaning First day of the month. The first day of this month--November--signals the beginning of that crazy blogging fun begun at NaBloPoMo. I know the word looks silly, but the intent is terrific. National Blog Posting Month. A post every day for the month of November. Every. Day. Yes, I shall say it again: Every. Darn. Day.

Visit NaBloPoMo

Certainly sounds like a gauntlet thrown down to me. And since I can't run from a challenge, I am giving it a go. You'll come around all month just to see what I have to say, right?

S is for something new. Or Saturday. Either one is a decent segue to this: Part of my NaBloPoMo fun will be a new Saturday game I will play. I thought of it myself, but you can play too if you wish. I shall call it Singular Saturday and it will consist of posting only a single word. From the ridiculous to the sublime, I will wrap it all up for you (my many deep and profound thoughts) in a single word on Saturdays. Now, that's sensational.

[I am going to need a badge for that, I guess.]

Let Them Roll

It's that time again! Thanks to Momma K and Lindsay who developed and host it each and every month, we have once again arrived at PERFECT POST day.

It is my pleasure to present this award to Whiskeymarie at Never what you think it should be... for her post My Inner Esther. When I read this, I laughed until the tears flowed. Go read it and see if the same thing happens to you.

Congratulations WM! There are always good things happening at your place.

*****************************************************

The good things happening at my place look a little like this:

Jams O'Donnell of The Poor Mouth shared a little award with Allison and me. He feels our new photos only site--Looking Into--deserves the Creative Blogger award.

Isn't that cool?

Jams is a cool cat out of the U.K. I meet him often on Wordless Wednesdays and enjoy his photography immensely. This award means a lot coming from the likes of him.
Cheers Jams and thank you so much.

(If you haven't been to the new site yet, I'll make it easy for you. Just click here to visit.)

Now, last things last, there is one more place I want to send you. Scribbit has been talking about me and if you are interested to see what she has to say, you can pop over to her blog and read this. If you don't want to go, you don't have to. However, if you don't click over, you'll miss the picture.

But whatever, do what you want....

It's all good.

Gifts and Honors

Today is the day. The first day of the month. The day to award this:

A Perfect Post for the month of July.

I proudly present it to Allison, who writes Soccer Mom in Denial, for Ceremony.

This piece centers on the core concept of embracing diversity. A philosophy I seek to fully implement in my life; a concept I strive to teach to my children; an issue which, yes, calls me to my soapbox. Truly, this is an idea I simply couldn't be MORE FOR.

I applaud this post and I applaud this writer. Well done, friend.

Thanks to Momma K and Lindsay for hosting the Perfect Post awards. Check their sites for more Perfect Posts.

********************************************

In other news, I got a couple of somethings from some someones myself. I want to thank these bloggers friends for the kindness shown. I really am deeply honored.

From Brillig I received this:

And she said this about me:

It goes to Jenn in Holland–I don’t know Jenn “in person,” but she has become a dear, eternal friend. She always leaves comments here, and she always replies to the comments I leave at her site. She’s even been known to drop me an email just to tell me that she’s thinking of me. I know! Could there be a cooler e-buddy? She’s the most thoughtful blogger I know. I love you, Jenn.

Thank you Brillig. I love you too.

Karen, who writes Author Mom with Dogs bestowed this:

and this:

And I thank her kindly.

She also gave my daughter this:

Awarded for her stories told at her own site, About A Girl.

When I saw this button and read Karen's words about Em, the Mama pride in me welled up and the gratitude fell down my cheeks in tender tears. Karen, thanks for thinking of my baby. That alone gets you a rockin' friend award.

I just need to figure out how to make the button.

*****************************************************

And finally a Haiku for Leslie's Haiku Buckaroo contest. (Did you enter yet?)

Four-year-old kisses

sticky with peanut butter

all sweetness to me

There Should Be an Award For That

My friends, my readers;

Welcome to the first--no, make that my first--Perfect Post award ceremony here at this blog.

Back in the day, like a year or so ago, Momma K and Lindsay had a brilliant notion to create a blogging award. An award made for bloggers, given by bloggers.

Cool, right?

It's an opportunity to share with friends at your place something you've read elsewhere in the blogosphere. Something you liked. Something which moved you. Something which made you laugh, think, smile, cry, snort, belch... whatever. Something you think others should read.

I've got that piece here.

My award for the month of June goes to Jennifer who writes The Verge. Initially I wanted to direct you to this piece she wrote earlier in the month. However, when I popped over to her place to grab the link for it, I was blown away by this one. When I finished wiping the tears, both happy and sad, from my eyes I knew I had found the Perfect Post.

Within every word of this last post she wrote from her Italian home there is the deep satisfaction of a happy life as an expat. But wrapped within each phrase is the anticipation of returning to her homeland of the U.S. Perhaps this piece was meaningful to me because I identify with her so deeply. More likely, is that Jennifer is a brilliant woman and a brilliant writer. Honest, clear, deep thinking is what she shares at her blog. That, in a word, is perfect.

Cheers,
jenn

P.S. What? Did you think I was done already? Please refer to the title of this blog and dissuade yourselves of any notion that I can be succinct. I still have something to say!

My Perfect Post award for the month of May goes to Anno of Anno's Place.

Anno's reflections sent me on a whirlwind trip through my own thoughts and I mulled and pondered these words for hours, days even, after reading them. Although it's late, I roll out the red carpet and invite you to stroll along with Anno for some divine reading.

When you're done there, will you come back here to say something? I like it when you're here. A lot.