Wordful Wednesday - 2008 RECAP

It is the final day of 2008 and what a year it has been! For me 2008 has been such a blessing.

It is difficult to recap a whole year in one post but I must do it for myself to record what this year has meant to me!

I would not even be blogging if it were not for this woman! Octamom is a my blog mentor. Most of you who read my blog know her and love her too. I have had the pleasure of serving her family through my profession and in the process we became very special friends. Here she is in her monkey flannel pj's and looks like a million bucks!

So in August, I began this blog. I knew I wanted to post about having an abundant life. As the blog developed I learned more about design and begin creating my own headers.
Then in September, the fun really began!

On September 3rd I participated in my first Wordful Wednesday with Angie at 7 clown circus. That is when I met so many wonderful people and began making m eaningful connections with others. Angie has a special way of relating to people that draw them to her. For more Wordful Wednesday participants today go see Mr. Linky at Angie's place. (By the way, a special message to my friend Stephanie of Live.Love.Eat....don't tell her husband but I think Mr. Linky has a crush on her!)

On September 8th, I first met Miruspeg of Middle Age Ramblings. On September 22 I included her wonder site in my first feature of "There Sites To See". Since then we have developed a wonderful friendship. Here is a picture that she posted on her own site. See this joyful face? She is a light to all who read her blog and have the good fortune to receive one of her encouraging comments. Her posts contain so many wonderful thinking points that inspire you to be a better person!

Then on September 20, I posted my first personal blog about a very personal life experience. My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer at a young age and we were very surprised.

We handled it with humor and I posted this: "We interrupt this life..."

We had so many blog friends sending us well wishes the whole month!! He had surgery and is now completely recovered. We have so much to be thankful for!

On September 25th I had my birthday and I posted this: This Libra Has A Birthday and I received an amazing gift. This comment from Fly Girl: "Is your birthday the 24th or 25th? Mine is the 25th..." then we discovered that we were both born on September 25, 1961!! I have a blog sister across the country who has so many similar life experiences. If you want to read about them you can go to this post. Go to "Moments In Time" and meet this amazing woman!

On September 29 I posted another my favorite sites: Caroline at "The Zen In You". See this post if you want to read about her. Her posts have made a huge impact in my thinking this year and have really helped me create a more abundant life. She is always doing something new and meaningful.

She has posted about choosing a WORD for the year in place of a resolution. I have done this as has Octamom, Miruspeg and McMGrad89. You will find out more about how we plan to celebrate our WORDS for the year in future posts.

In October, I began in earnest with "Tuesday Tales". It is my effort to share a love of children's books and offer some professional insights into the ways parents can use books to enrich the language of their children.

Through this experience I met Elle of Fingerprints on My Window, and Laura of Storytellin' Mama. We three have collaborated on Tuesday Tales and I know many have enjoyed their guest posts. Elle is a speech-language pathologist like me and Laura is a former high school friend of Elle and she is a child therapist. This has been an amazing professional collaboration and I have enjoyed the new friendships.

I cannot end 2008 without also recognizing two other blog friends. I so appreciate the photography and posts of Chris at "Life or a reasonable facsimile thereof" and the insights and thoughts of Lance at "The Jungle of Life". Lance just participated in two amazing interviews. See his site for details. You cannot possibly stay stagnant in your thinking or in your doing or in the way you create your family when you read these blogs. Your life will be enriched and you will be changed!

If you have read this far you know that I take seriously each and every blog that I read and comment on. It is impossible in one post to thank all of those of you who have made my 2008 so abundant. In closing, here are the bloggers who have made such an impact on my life this year:

Tami, Octamom, Miruspeg, Caroline, Elle, Laura, Jen, Angie, Chris, Lance, Dana, Stephanie, Mandy, Elizabeth, Mommaof4wife2r, Susan, Tiaras&Tantrums, Carrie, Jaysi, Kacey R., Liz, Cecilia R., Honey Mommy, Mammarazi, Frizzy, Jonny's Mommy, imbeingheldhostage, Izzy & Emmy, Gil, weeksie50, Jyl, McMGrad89, Supercoolhotmama, Lindsay, Kimberley, Ronda's Rants, Rhonda, Bermudabluez, Gumbo Writer, Stefunkc, Robin, Mimi, Carrie, CC, Suzannah, Tommie, Frannie, Scrappysue, Shannon.

My friend Peggy sent me this quote today:

"The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond our wildest dreams."
-Sidney Madwed

So all of my friends, Thank you for a wonderful 2008 and Happy New Year. May you receive all of the encouragement you need to grow, blossom and produce abundance in 2009!!!

Abundance is...living to appreciate another year!

I WILL HAVE MY 100TH POST TOMORROW, I PROMISE IT WILL NOT BE THIS LONG!!