Passing It On - A Catholic Writer's Award

I was completely unaware of this award until Lea popped a comment into one of my blogs posts saying she'd passed it on to me.   Needless to say, I am tickled pink and feel very undeserving, especially when I consider her writing along with the work of so many others in the blogosphere being way superior to anything I have done.   Sometimes, I feel like if I had time to really think through a blog post, I might do a halfway decent job at writing one, but that time has definitely not come yet so instead, I pound out my posts bit by bit on days when I'm still lucky enough to have both boys napping simultaneously or after the house goes to bed.   How any good writing could come of that is beyond me. So let me pass this award on to those who are much more deserving and talented than I.

• I'll  start with Lea herself who blogs at Mama Takes on the World.    As a new blogger, I am always amazed when someone comments on my blog because it still hasn't quite sunk in with me yet that anyone other than my husband actually reads it.  Writing a blog still feels to me like I'm talking to an imaginary friend. So when Lea made a comment early on, I had to check out her blog and was floored by how much thought and reasoning she puts into each post.  I guess I'm too skeptical to believe one person can take on the world, but by golly, after reading several of Lea's posts, if one woman can do it, it just might be her. The fact that she and I seem to share the same opinions about most matters is a bonus.    And check out her personal story too, which I found incredibly inspiring and intriguing.   I can't wait to hear what else Lea has to say!

• Then there is Rebecca who blogs at The Road Home.   It's difficult to find someone whose writing makes you feel like they are speaking directly about you but Rebecca is one of the few who has this gift. She shares the good, bad, and ugly of dealing with infertility from a Catholic perspective and her blog has become a voice for hundreds of Catholic women who carry (or carried) this same cross.   My most recent favorites were a post about how we are all called to be spiritual mothers and another in which she blogged about how difficult it is to feel like our lives are "fruitful" when we are facing physical barrenness.  I sincerely hope she knows just how fruitful her writing has been for me and the many others who know her pain but are much more inept at expressing it.    I have no doubt that the road she is traveling will lead her home and it just might lead a few others there as well. 

• And sticking to the infertility bloggers, I would like to add Chella at Half Full of Grace.  I first visited Chella's blog because she was a new blogger (like me) and just starting out on her infertility journey (which I truly pray is not a long one).  After reading her first couple of  posts, I was hooked. She blogs with her whole heart and I just couldn't help but want to give her a virtual hug.   I also love the fact that she usually concludes each post with a heartfelt and very gracious prayer because, ya know, God reads blogs too!    So keep up the praying and writing, Chella.   You do both too well to stop.  

• One other favorite blog of mine is Kerri's at Journal of a Nobody.   I can't recall how I found this blog, but when I stumbled across one written by a woman who also has struggled with infertility and miscarriage, and loves being a Catholic, and also lives in Kentucky and has two twin boys nearly the same age as mine, how could I not read it?   We have so much in common that I hope someday we can meet up in the Bluegrass State and enjoy some bourbon while our husbands chase our boys around.   In the meantime, I enjoy reading her posts and am always amazed by how encouraging and upbeat and optimistic she is because trust me, I know her life with twin preschool boys and a new baby ain't easy!   She also writes columns regularly at Catholic Sistas so yeah, she's a real writer, unlike us impostors.   You go, girl!

• Lastly, I want to pass this award on to a blog that I have never left a comment on (I know, shame on me) but that I have been reading for almost two years now.   Marie at Joy Beyond the Cross was a blog I started reading after having my third miscarriage, which coincided closely with her fourth. I was deep in the midst of self-pity when I found some of her posts in which she described her feelings about her babies in heaven and her connection to them and all the saints.   Her writing really helped me gain some perspective on my losses and suffering and it also helped to know that I was not suffering alone.  If she could keep hoping and trusting, I knew I could.  The name of her blog sums her philosophy up perfectly, i.e., don't focus on your cross but on the joy that lies beyond.   I had really lost that perspective until I found her blog so thank you, Marie, for helping us stay focused on what the point of it all really is.

I should probably stop there.   You can look at my blogroll and see what blogs I frequent.   In my opinion, all of them are deserving of this recognition.   They are all well-written by Catholic women who have a lot of heart and soul.   And there are many more than just the ones I frequent.  But alas, so many blogs...so little time...and dirty dishes are (always) calling.   So if you are reading this, and you too know of a deserving blog, especially one that may be somewhat obscure, I hope you will pass this award on.

And thank you to Melanie for initiating this idea and who has a lovely blog that I found through this award.   May the giver also be the receiver!

THIS AWARD HAS NO STRINGS ATTACHED

NO RULES,

NO OBLIGATIONS

A SIMPLE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GREAT CATHOLIC WRITING WHICH BRINGS JOY, TRUTH, FREEDOM OR  ENCOURAGEMENT TO OTHERS

IT CAN BE SOMEONE WHO WRITES ABOUT

PRAYER

THEIR STRUGGLES AND PAIN. BRINGING HOPE TO OTHERS

LIFE IN GOD

FAITH STORIES THAT MAKE YOU LAUGH

PASS THIS AWARD ON TO A FELLOW CATHOLIC WRITER OR TWO

POST THE RECIPIENT’S NAME AND BLOG IF APPLICABLE, AWARD TITLE, LOGO WITH A SIMPLE LINK BACK TO

http://melaniejeanjuneau.wordpress.com/