Saturday, June 16, 2007

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY TO ME!!

It was a year ago today that I entered this great adventure. I posted my reasons for blogging here day before yesterday, so I won't go into that again. Suffice it to say that Kevin's homecoming anniversary was two days ago, and that's what prompted this beginning. Here is my initial post:

I have entered blogland with fear and trembling. Feisty is sitting on my lap and Care Bear is here too. I don't have time to think or write, but just wanted you all to know that Kristen has launched me. There have been so many great messages in the last two days that I feel I need to do some explanations. I will do that as time goes on. I just wanted you to know I'm here. Just Call Me Grandma Dawn!

I'm not sure why I was fearful. I think it was because I wasn't sure I'd have anything to say. Wow, I sure proved that to be wrong! The explanations that I promised came in the form of the series Kevin and I did together about his journey through addiction to deliverance. Kristen and I paved the way for that with our journal of her journey through anorexia. Both series are linked on my sidebar.

The next night, Saturday the 17th, I did my first real post. We had just returned from the third annual Hymn Sing sponsored by my husband's employer, Walker Manufacturing. The president is our good friend for over 30 years, and is also our choir director. He loves hymns and sees them disappearing from worship services, and in his "field of dreams" many people who still love the glorious old songs of the church gathered together to sing them and praise the God who inspired them over the centuries. That dream came true when we gathered on the lawn of their manufacturing plant - a lawn that is beautifully cared for by the mowers they design and create. I told about it here - and tonight we'll be going again. A great crowd will gather - and it will not all be old people - to sing for about two hours.

I realized as I looked back at that post entitled "Music and Me" that I was setting the stage for a theme throughout my blog for the last year. I didn't know it at the time. It wasn't planned. But it just proves how much music means to me as I have perused the last year's posts and discovered that approximately once a week I have quoted a song that has spoken to me that week, that day, or sometime in the past when I needed it. I have also talked about being on the piano and organ bench at church since I was 8 years old. I talk about choir, and singing with my dad, my husband and his sister, and maybe even the mixed quartet of my teen years. If not the last one, I will definitely have to put that on my list of things to write about in the coming year.

Tomorrow is Father's Day and last Father's Day I sang a duet with my 80-year-old dad. I wrote about it in that same post. This year Dad isn't able to sing in choir any more - at least for awhile. He's had a rough year physically, but is doing really well right now. But his voice has not returned to its strength, and his lungs just don't cooperate as they used to. He plans to go tonight, though. Wouldn't miss it for anything. I hope he can sing for awhile at least.

It's been a great ride - I love all of you who keep in touch daily. We have a good thing going here.


18 comments:

Linds said...

Happy anniverary to you, Dawn. I hope you all enjoy the singing tonight!

someone else said...

Happy bloggaversary.

Music truly IS the soul's own speech!

Linda said...

Dawn, I don't know why but I feel all "teary". You have become such a dear friend. Your sweet spirit just always blesses me.
I love the idea of gathering together to sing old hymns. If we lived there, we'd be sitting on the front row. My husband feels the same way - worried that they will be lost forever. I don't think that will happen. More and more I hear young people talk about how great those hymns are.
Have a glorious time. I share your love of music. How it enriches our lives!! Maybe you can just sing a solo for Dad this year. I bet he'd love that.
Happy Bloggaversary dear friend. I'm so very glad you started blogging. Your faith and love for your family just blesses my socks off!!

Diane@Diane's Place said...

Another music and hymn lover here. I'd be sitting beside Linda and her hubby in the front row, belting out the alto and occasionally the soprano or high harmony. :-)

Happy happy Blogiversary, sweet friend. Here's wishing you many more years of blogging. That's kind of selfish on my part, though, because I want to be around to read your blog. ;-)

Love and hugs,

Diane

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

Happy blogaversary! and many many more! Glad we met!

Barb said...

Does it seem like the first year flew by? It felt like that for me when I had my first bloggiversary.

I know what you mean about entering this with a little fear. I think it's because it's all such a big blank space and the way we start filling it up forms people's opinions of us. I've watched your blog evolve into such a nice place.

Happy Bloggiversary to you and I'm looking forward to the next year. The neat thing is that I know before you and I celebrate our second anniversaries, we'll have met each other. :-)

Lala's world said...

congrats on your anniversary! I wish I could check daily still but with working full time I just can't ... still so glad that we met in blogland and I look foward to reading many more years together!!!

Gran said...

Happy Blogiversary to you ! I so much enjoy reading your posts. Your writing is an inspiration me.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Diane Viere said...

Dawn,

Happy Bloggiversary!!!!! I am so glad you started blogging. I have enjoyed getting to know you in a very personal way. I have been blessed by you...by your wisdom, by your love of music...and by your beautiful spirit!

It has been a very good year, my friend....and I look forward to the next years!

Diane

Rita Loca said...

Congratulations! Due to my computer troubles and the up coming move I have not been able to get here to read as much as I would like. Hope to remedy that soon.

kpjara said...

What a blessing you have been over the past year! Congrats on the milestone...and even when I don't stop daily, I think of you regularly and lift the prayers!

Kristen said...

Happy blogaversary! For someone who couldn't stand the word "blog" at first, I'd say you've had a pretty successful first year. Hope your next one is just as great!

Unknown said...

When I started my blog, I had the same fear that I wouldn't have much to say. We certainly have proved ourselves wrong! :-)

Happy Blogiversary!

Anonymous said...

Happy Blogiversary!

Carole Burant said...

Happy Blogiversary dear Dawn!! I miss so much when I go away for a weekend!! lol I'm just so glad that you did start blogging...and glad I started too:-) xoxo

Midlife Mom said...

Happy, happy Blogaversary Dawn! I have so enjoyed your posts since I found you! You have inspired me and talked about things dear to my heart many times. I too love the old hymns and my hubby and I hate to see them go by the wayside. Thankfully we still sing them at our church along with the more contemporary stuff. I am glad that you put into words the long road to recovery that your children both experienced and how you dealt with all of it through the grace of God. Keep writing, we would all miss you if you stopped!!! xoxox

kpjara said...

I had to tag you for the 5 things I dig about Jesus Meme...

Tammy said...

Oh, Happy Anniversary Dawn! So many of us started within a month or two of each other....I'm so glad that you we each did- you're a blessing to me!