Thursday, November 24 is Thanksgiving Day in the US. Four days after that, on the 28th, I’ll be clocking my one-year anniversary as a blogger. In honor of these two significant events, I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone who popped over to my site to read my posts; to everyone who made comments or sent personal emails of encouragement; and most importantly to those who subscribed. From my experience, being a writer and a blogger can sometimes be a very lonely, bumpy road. There are good hits, but there are also lots of misses – but it all makes it worthwhile when there are people around you who cheer you on. It’s even more special when they are people that you’ve never met before…total strangers who take the time to pat you on the back, inadvertently giving you permission to keep going no matter what. I am most grateful to a benevolent God for those people.
I’d also like to celebrate the blogs/bloggers/writers that have truly influenced me this last one year. They may or may not know how much they influenced me (all in positive ways), hence my decision to announce a big thank you to them.
I’ll list them below in order of how I was first introduced to them.
- Tolulope Popoola encouraged me to try my hands at blogging (and writing short stories on my site). She even offered to design my blog. I’m grateful for you!
- Myne Whitman – met her through Tolulope Popoola. This woman with a generous heart taught me the importance of diligence and hard work as a writer. She also introduced the power of social networking to this book nerd. I’m grateful for you!
- Nana Twum Baah’s blog posts reminded me never to lose touch with the fun loving diva inside my womanly body and to write my posts as such. I’m grateful for you!
- Tolulope’s musings kept me grounded in my Faith as a blogger. Through his posts, I was encouraged to share my own Faith through my posts as much as possible. I’m grateful for you.
- Bukville’s blog, my Texan neighbor inspired me to write about my work and family and to remember to keep it real. No ‘honky-dory-everything-is fine’ here. I’m grateful for you!
- Kiru Taye inspired me to keep developing my romantic writing craft. Mediocrity in African romance is not an option, she’d say. One more thing she says, “Writing a novel is not what’s important but writing a best seller.” I’m grateful for you!
- Adura Ojo – wanna be like her when I grow up, lol. This woman’s posts inspired me to be passionate about promoting literary works by Africans like me living in the Diaspora. I’m grateful for you!
- Naija mom in London (met this fun blogger late) inspired me to socialize with other bloggers; to remember that no blogger man is an island. I’m grateful for you.
Have a beautiful thanksgiving holiday whereever you are reading this. And if you’re outside the US where this holiday does not apply to you, please take the time to appreciate those around you.
I’m grateful for you!
Lara Daniels 