A Valentine's Day Gift for You

Back in November I wrote a post in which I talked some about the unusual phenomenon we call comments and the unpredictable nature in which readers choose to comment or not comment.  I also asked you to choose a post you had written that you were really proud of but that you felt didn't get the attention you wished it had received.  I then posted the link to this post so that readers visiting my blog could come to your blog and read the post.  The purpose was to offer you the opportunity to be seen and heard--two of the most important gifts we can receive from others.  At the time I had every intention of making that a regular occurrence on my blog.  I thought it could become a monthly edition.  Well, I never followed through.  But it's Valentine's Day.  A day whose meaning sometimes gets lost in commercialism but whose intent was to remind us to celebrate the the love in our lives. 

There are endless reasons we choose to blog--to share our stories, to share our talents, to connect with kindred spirits, to give our voice an opportunity to be heard.  We write posts in which we give the reading world the gift of our rawness and our vulnerability.  We write posts that say so much about ourselves and our journey.  We write posts we are tremendously proud of.  As readers of these posts we have the chance to honor one another.  We have the opportunity to affirm one another, support one another, encourage one another.  We have the opportunity to say, I see you, I hear you, I am traveling alongside you, I am cheering you on, I have been touched by your life, your story, your courage. 

In November when I requested links to some of your most important posts it felt like one of the most important posts I've ever written.  Each time I posted one of your links on my blog, giving readers the chance to read your words and leave you comments, it felt like one of the most important things I've ever done with my blog.  As a Valentine's Gift to you, to myself, to the blogging community I would like to request your links again.  If you would like to participate simply leave a link to one of your posts in the comments and I will post them here.  You can leave your links anytime this week or next week.  The cut off date will be next Friday (the 22nd).  This doesn't necessarily have to be a deeply personal/emotional post.  It's any post that means something special to you that you would like readers to re-visit.  It's any post that was important to you, any post in which you felt you truly expressed yourself.  It takes courage to say, I wrote this.  It was important to me.  I would love for you to read it.  It takes courage because it is often hard to ask one another for this kind of affirmation.  But asking is a gift we give ourselves, the gift of valuing our lives and our stories.  I'll be posting my own link once I decide which post I'd like to link to.

I would love to visit your blog and read a post that has deep meaning for you.  Just leave the link in the comments. 

***********************************************************

1. Marilyn 
2. Bella
3. Bethany
4. Becky
5. Julia
6. Frankie
7. Nicole
8. Penny

Comments

[luzie]

I said I was coming back here.. and here I am.. with the link to a post I'd love to share:

http://luziesnotes.wordpress.com/2007/03/12/nigel-kennedy-review/

Thank you again for this.

[jenica]

i have had this rattling in my head since before i even conceived... and now she's 6 months old! it always feels good to get it out.

thank you for being so thoughtful and intuitive.

http://theonelittleone.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-four-best-friends.html

[Rachel]

I've been coming back to this post over the past few days to read all the submissions before I add my own link out of respect to all of these other bloggers that want to be heard. I am so glad I came to their moving words. I've started a yearlong project called Saturday Seeds where every Saturday I'll post a suggestion for better living. More about it in the jan 2008 archive on my blog if anyone is interested. I'd like to focus here on Seed No.2 which I think is the best one so far.
http://www.themetaphoricalmagpie.com/2008/01/saturday-seed-1.html

[Leslie]

How nice to drop by and see this lovely post Michelle. I think I fall in the category of blogger who reads often without commenting. I think a lot of the time it is because I don't know that I have anything 'important' to add. But, then, I do love receiving comments soooo, yeah. Those two things don't go together beautifully well do they? Hmmm.

I will also say that I think you are one of the "brave bloggers" out there. I am safer and maybe less revealing of my inner works, although I can say that I am genuine in what I do have to say over at my place. Oh well, enough of my blathering...I have chosen to link to this post:
http://lesophie.blogspot.com/2007/09/little-squares.html
Kind of funny because, being a photographer and all, it does not have a photo. I think it is an important post to me because even though I sometimes struggle to stay in the space that inspired the post, it is a true and well earned space for me.

Thanks again for putting this out there :)

All the best to you.
Leslie

[Liz]

beautiful thoughts and beautiful ideas... it is past the date but thought I'd leave a link for you... thanks for your spirit...

http://athenadreams.typepad.com/design/2008/01/winter-sacred-l.html

[Penny]

What a generous idea and it actually inspired the post i am linking: http://the-penny-has-dropped.blogspot.com/2008/02/tribal-call.html
thank you for hearing my call xx

[Nicole]

What a great idea. Thank you.

My site is fairly new, but I do like this post from yesterday:

http://nicolebruni.com/blog/the-valentines-day-vacuum

Happy Valentine's Day!

[Frankie]

I love, love, LOVE this idea!! And I think it goes along nicely with what we've been discussing lately - this creating of community, this reaching out. What a beautiful Valentine's day gift! I hope you're having a wonderful day!

I chose this post not because it's my favorite, but because it's one of my mother's favorite, and that makes it so very important to me.

http://phranqueigh.blogspot.com/2006/08/so-this-is-love.html

Thanks again for doing this!!
xoxoxoxox

[Julia]

What a great idea, and a beautiful gift. Happy Valentine's to you too.

http://kolokolo.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-i-meant-to-say-about-friends.html

Will you also tell us the post you would choose for yourself?

[Jennifer (she said)]

What a beautiful gift Michelle. Happy Valentine's Day! And what about you? If someone gave you this gift, what post would you want others to read/share in?

[Becky]

This is such a giving guesture. Takes my breath.
http://meantimeblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/last-night.html#links
Thank you.

[Bethany]

What a gorgeous gift. Thank you so much for facilitating connection -- it's what Valentine's Day is all about anyway, right?
I like bella's comment about a time that made her feel strong, so here's my strongest moment from last year: http://cappuccinosophy.blogspot.com/2007/09/disowning-regret.html.
I can't wait to meet everyone else!

[bella]

This is one that I often read to remind myself of a time I felt strong.

http://deelovelee.typepad.com/mamamuses/2007/11/day-13-the-less.html

[Marilyn]

I loved it when you did this last time...I found some wonderful bloggers that way. I'm not going to 'think' about which post to put up...I'll just link to the most recent one...

http://marilyn.typepad.com/moojo_cafe/2008/02/changed.html

Happy Heart Day to all.

[jessabean]

It's so strange about the comment thing. I'm a lurker (got you on my Google reader!) and I suppose the reason why I don't always comment is that I sometimes feel very intimidated by the blogs I admire the most, the ones written by the most talented artists, the ones that seem to receive plenty of comments as it is, so what difference would my note make?

But you remind me that every word of encouragement is important. What a wonderful Valentine's gift! I'll be back with a link once I choose one...

[luzie]

oh how i love that you're doing this again.. what a precious gift for us on Valentine's Day. i'll come back with a link later.

Happy Valentine's Day to you. :)

[bee]

oh, michelle, this IS incredible. i will come back with a link of mine, but wow, i'm struck by how intuitive you are.

bless your sweet, gentle, creative spirit.

[Jeanne]

How very beautiful and lovely.
Thank you
Happy Valentine's Day to you
Love Jeanne