with gratitude

i met a blog friend for coffee yesterday,

we had never met in 'real' life before

and as i drove to the coffee shop

thoughts swirled...

we only know each other by what we post

and that is all...

would we hit it off? would it be awkward?

i found this visit so enjoyable-

i made a forever friend!

laurel you are a sweetie!

I shared with her how we sometimes

pour our inmost thoughts into our blog

and it is a therapy of sorts and others who 'know us in real life'

really don't see that side of us-

sometimes they don't even want to see or want to know that side of us!

blogging is an outlet. my voice. 

i love it

this blog has become such an important extension of me,

i do not know when it began really- 

this ease of expressing my thoughts and having that creative outlet

and when and how it became so important...

but i do know this,

i have always expressed myself with words 

(well i use my hands a lot too when i talk, hey i have italian blood in these veins!) ;)

but, really the way i deal with hardship & joy 

is through reading books and writing.

i started out with poetry and somehow that is how everything 

comes across when i write...

when i was in high school and things were dismal and felt hopeless...

you know important things like

 boyfriends breaking up with you or friends being not so friendly...  ;)

i would come home,

grab my journal and go for a hike in our back woods

and write poetry.

it was healing and it helped me get through it all

when i was going through cancer,

out came a journal and words overflowed...

it is how i dealt with being sick, bald and my mortality

blogging is a lovely way for me to express

and i will be forever thankful that i have found it.

yesterday i received an email from blog pal

                                                                michelle

how sweet is this? 

thank you my friend...it meant a lot to me to receive this from you!

i will be passing it on to;

                                                      ada @ http://www.ofwoodsandwords.com/

and so with this i thank you the blog community

for welcoming me, supporting me, commenting 

and letting me find my voice again-

i am thankful, blessed and will be your friend...
 always.

with bloggie hugs & love,