A Thank You & Blog Hop!

If you are a blogger, you know that 'dry spells' occur occasionally, and works and ideas just don't seem to flow from keyboard to computer screen. After nearly six years of blogging and more than 3,500 posts, this writer hit a major creative roadblock!  Blog posts on Gracious Hospitality this summer have been few and far between.  Thankfully inspiration is returning and ideas are starting to flow again, so maybe, just maybe, posting will resume on a more scheduled basis . At least that is my intent.  It's pretty easy to think that after a period of silence, your blogging friends will forget you and move on to more interesting places to read and share their friendship.  But through it all there have been some faithful blogging friends who have encouraged me by their continued comments whenever I did develop a post.  Their messages of affirmation have meant so much to me, and I would like to say THANK YOU to them for their gracious words of encouragement to keep on writing!  

Let's go on a blog-hop so you can meet just a few of these encouraging  bloggy friends!

Susan from Writing Straight from the Heart has been a most faithful encourager.  She has stuck by from one sparse post to the next, always giving an encouraging word or thought.  Thank you, Susan, from the bottom of my heart.  I cannot adequately express how encouraging you have been to me.  Readers, please stop by Susan's beautiful blog.  Her blog is a place of beauty that flows with the seasons.  I think you'll enjoy her inspiring words and photos, as I have!

And there is Bernideen.  I love her name and like to say it several times so that the syllables roll through my tongue several times.  Bernideen is a 'tea lady' who writes from her lovely tea shop in Colorado.  She is a kindred spirit when it comes to porcelain china and creativity.  She always has a kind word and her gentle spirit is expressed sweetly through picture and word.   Her faithful comments are some that have kept me blogging along.  Thank you, Bernideen! You can visit her here at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog.  If you visit soon, you'll hear a gentle song by Willie Nelson to soothe your day.  Moonlight in Vermont. . .

Then there is Vee.  She is quintessentially northeastern, terrifically creative, and authentic to the core.  I love her ability to ask a simple question about a blog post that rocks me to the bottom of my socks!  She pays attention and I love that!  Her words are always encouraging and her faithfulness blesses me.  You can visit her at A Haven for Vee, and be sure to tell her I sent you!  

I have been fortunate enough to meet two bloggers from my own neck of the woods.  I've shared tea with both of them and we have bonded as bloggers and friends.  Marilyn writes at Delights of the Heart.  She is always a delight!  Marilyn is a woman who gets things done!  And whatever she sets out to do, she does with creative energy and focus!  I have learned a lot from her !  I am inspired by her vision as she sees the world through the eye of her camera.  I also admire her perspective as she shares about her outlook on life.  She chooses a 'word' each year to focus on.  This year the word is JOY --- and that's what she brings to my life!  I really appreciate you, Marilyn.  Thank you for helping to keep me focused!  The other encouraging blogging friend from my neck of the woods is Clarice.  If you have ever read Storybook Woods, you'll know already that Clarice epitomizes authenticity, uniqueness, and extreme creativity!  Her home in real life IS a storybook house in the woods!  Walking into her home is like stepping into the house of Louisa Mae Alcott's Little Women!  Clarice's daughter's complete the role, as they are like characters from the same.  But never fear, Clarice's husband has a wonderful "man den" that doubles as a library and retreat.  I am especially proud of Clarice because this year she published her first novel and she has done a lovely job of expressing who she is and what homemaking means to her through the life of Wren Bay.  Clarice especially inspires me because she has dyslexia, but she didn't let that stop her from reaching for the stars and achieving her dream of becoming the published author of a charming book! Congratulations, Clarice, and thank you for being the positive example you are!

And last, but not least, I would like to thank Paula for always encouraging me to keep on blogging.  Paula doesn't have a blog, but she has a lovely gift and antique shop that I love to visit!  She encourages me to keep on posting, shares ideas with me, and lets me take pictures of her lovely vignettes to my heart's content.  Without her constant encouragement, I think blogging would be a little duller for me.  So, thank you to Paula as well!

I hope you enjoy the blog-hop to a few of my friends who have left such encouraging comments to posts in the past few months.  On another day, I will take you on a trip to visit a few others who have encouraged as well.  Enjoy your day!

Thank you for visiting Gracious Hospitality. Please come back soon!

Taken from http://www.gracioushospitality.blogspot.com/