Warmth, depth, reason, honesty, humor

Hello, everyone! It's been a crazy week; I'm fully engaged in All That Is Autumn--rehearsals; church & nonprofit planning/administrative stuff; prepping the homestead for winter; keeping the pups active, healthy & happy; having the happy occasion to invite dear ones to dinner, after a summer of everyone being scattered to the four winds.

So it's been a crazy week, but a good one. I'm feeling chin-deep in love and richness. But things are moving quickly, and I haven't been as present to the blogosphere as I like to be. And so...my friend Ruth sent some loveliness my way last week, and I've been pondering a response, but it's taken me a little while. She sent me an award, which made me grin:


There are a lot of blogs I read, for many different reasons. Blogs I really love have five things in common:

• Warmth--I want to know the writer a bit, to understand what makes them tick. I want to read people who know themselves but don't wear ego like a big orange hat; who I can imagine chuckling from somewhere behind their kneecaps; with whom I'd love to sit down and have a long chat over a cuppa.
• Depth--These bloggers turn the prism a bit for me; they ask me to take one more look, and invite me into places I might not have gone. They offer places of rest and reflection and insight and goodwill.
  
• Reason--Good sense trumps hyperbole for me; these people are grounded and principled and smart. And as an added bonus, they can write.
• Honesty--They call 'em as they see 'em. They're not afraid to admit what they don't know. They'll say the tough thing that needs saying, and they swim hard toward reality at all times.
  
• Humor--Karl Barth said that "Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God." These women make me laugh. At myself, often. :-) Snorting, running-to-the-bathroom kind of laughing. What a gift!

So, I'd officially like to thank these people for all those things, and tell them that I love their blogs!

• Magdalene at Magdalene's Musings
• Fran at FranIAm
• Shalom at Mine Unbelief
• Jan at Yearning for God
  
• Diane at Faith in Community

and, of course, though I don't say it as often as I should,

• Ruth at Ruth's Visions and Revisions.

Y'all are a blessing to me, every day. Thank you.