Thursday, December 07, 2006

Holiday Presents: Part 2

Time to acknowledge and thank more blog friends. Full disclosure requires that I tell you these four special people are also members of my Big Yellow writing group, but it is through the blogs that I've really come to know them. Read my prior post if you want some background in why I'm saying thank you. Otherwise:

Popscholar I first heard about blogs from you, and I think yours was the first blog I ever read. Then and now, your blog is witty, gutsy, honest, and hysterical. Your humor and writing is sometimes so outrageous I sit in my little writing room, shake my head, and laugh outloud. And A, I think we've become friends. I admire how successfully you struggle to understand what is real and why.

Kris You are the kindest person. I love to read your supportive and thoughtful comments to other bloggers and I find myself hoping I can be like you when and where it counts. I love hearing your stories about teaching --sometimes you are the teacher and other times you are the student. In either role, you are so genuine and, well, kind. I admire you and always look forward to connecting with you.

Nicole: I've loved getting to know you. For me your blog is a mix of learning about your day-to-day life, about knitting, and about your quiet courage and determination to live the life that comes at you. I love that your descriptions, even of sad events, are just so simple and graceful. I am really glad to have the chance to get to know you through our writing groups too. I remember your first story about france and a bicycle.

Melissa If you don't know already, I hope I'm a long term friend! Your blog always reminds me of the precious importance of family, of the little things, of courage, and of confusion--all mixed together and shared honestly by a very decent and good person--you. It is incredible to witness your "unveiling" as a playwright.
And your love of dogs--well--we both understand that only too well. When I visit your blog I am almost always uplifted.

More thank yous will be coming. By the way, this is a very very pleasant thing to do. I recommend it if you'd like to give yourself a little gift for the holidays. Say 'thank you' publicly to the people who matter.

Oh yes, my favorite holiday songs....

I play Christmas and Holiday songs to slow me down and keep me in a calmer place while i'm moving from one holiday chore to another. I love listening to this once-a-year music. I can't tell you what artists I like over another, but here are my clear favorite songs:

1. Come all Ye Faithful (My memories of catholic midnight mass)

2. O Holy Night (ditto: Life feels very sacred when I hear this)

3. The Little Drummer Boy

4. Ode to Joy

5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland only)

13 comments:

  1. KJ, these tributes to your blogger friends are wonderful and so special. You really are a great friend. You always remember to appreciate and you think of others so generously that is why it is so easy to love you. Oh yes, and I think you and I were friends before we were born.

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  2. you're such a great person, and I say this because you know how to appreciate people. that's rare these days.

    m.e.

    PS:
    Litte Drummer Boy is also one of my fave christmas songs.

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  3. hi kj, this is such a great idea!! i really need to check out some of your links more closely! i am frustrated at the moment b/c i have left a comment on several blogger sites and it's not showing up! i posted one on yours the other day that is no longer there. i think it's something to do with blogger vs. blogger beta or something. ugh...

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  4. yes, ces, you and i are soulmates. and muses. and guardian angels. in any case, what could be easier than to be a good friend to someone wonderful?

    maria thank you. i agree with the importance of appreciating people. i try, and i know you do too.

    ruby i would hate to ever miss a comment from you. i am so glad you are writing again.

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  5. KJ- your comments about A, M, and K are totally true. I feel the same way about them. Your comments about me are incredibly sweet and made me cry (in the good way). I love reading your comments to my blog. You have been so supportive of me in good times and bad, and I consider you a true friend.

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  6. Long term, absolutely! :) Wow, I have loved reading these ... and to be the focus of one of them made me feel as if someone just put their hands on my shoulders and a stream of warmth and love went flowing right through to me. I love your blog, your comments, and you!

    My favorite holiday song is Silent Night, though lately I've been listening (repeatedly!!) to Light in the Stable by Emmylou Harris, backed by Linda Rondstat, Dolly Parton, and Neil Young. Whew. Goosebump material.

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  7. Kj,

    I don't know if you realize it but you have (or had) a tremendous influence on the people you touch through your blog. I have lost track of how many times I have been struck and inspired by what you write.

    When I started my blog, I never dreamed I would form friendships with people who are so very far away from me. But I feel that I know some of you more than the people I meet face to face here.

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  8. Hi KJ, I agree with Menchie. In fact I have a friend at work who thinks that it is possible to know someone you may not have seen, more than the people you work with everyday. However, Sharon also mentioned that it is easy for someone to create a persona on the blog and assume that person every time one logs in especially if one is a writer. I think however, that the blogs I have chosen to be my favorites are true representations of some parts of my blogger-friends' lives. We cannot blog about everything but every little opinion, comment and post we make reveal a part of who we are, the one we are comfortable sharing with the public.

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  9. These are wonderful songs, at this time of year not to many aren't. I like to mix the Traditional with some of the older rock and roll songs.

    Now I think someone should start a cookie tag. Hopefully a few recipes might appear too.

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  10. nicole and melissa: i feel the same way about both of you. i'm so grateful to have stumbled into the big yellow writing group

    menchie: what you have written to me here is so sweet and kind it hits me very tenderly. thank you. i know what you mean about blog friendships. and menchie, i would like to know more about you and maria. how long have you been friends? what was your childhood like? etc. i would love to know more about you...

    ces-i think you can tell who is real and healthy and who isn't--at least most of the time.

    babe: thank you for visiting my blog. i would love your best cookie recipe!

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  11. kj,

    maria and i met at work 7 years ago. we were together for 3 years (i think, is that right maria?) before she left for the US. we hung out with the same group of wonderful people who have remained friends with each other despite the different paths we took after Intel. we were also carpoolmates so we have a lot of hilarious road trip tales.

    the story of my childhood is a long one, i'm afraid. let's email instead! i couldn't find your email address on your profile.

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  12. Mench, so which one of you graduated from St. Scholastica?

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  13. ces,
    that would probably be maria. i graduated from up.

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