Liebster Award!!

“Do what you LOVE to do, and do it so well that those who come to see you do it will bring others to watch you do it again and again and again.”…by Mark Victor Hansen

We bloggers are humorously unique, don’t you think? We write a lot, read a lot, comment, share and contribute a lot…then pat one another on the back for our blogs by giving ourselves awards! Lol. Because, that’s basically what the Liebster Award is: a recognition of bloggers by other bloggers. Circulating around the blogging community since 2011, this award is especially valuable to new bloggers, such as myself, in granting me exposure to all of you, and in fostering a community of recognition and appreciation for one another. I must say here: I SO appreciate all of you who stop by to read whatever it is I choose to write. Writing my stories originally started out as a form of therapy for myself–to keep me from crossing over to the “dark side”–but, lo and behold, I now feel a new pull begging me to type at my computer, and that pull is the odd feeling off “connection” that glows around me when other like-minded bloggers, such as yourself, stop by to contribute. I no longer feel so “alone” in how I think, feel and believe, so…THANK YOU to all of you!

Now, to the amazing woman who nominated me: Anuskha of Lovestruckatire! I so look forward to Anuskha’s thoughts on love, happiness and emotions, and how, in her own special words, she always manages to encourage her readers to seek within themselves their own answers to the questions life poses. She makes me think, she makes me smile, and I am completely honored that she’s one of my frequent visitors, urging me by her visits to keep on writing. Thank you, dear Anuskha!

“Liebster” in German, by the way, means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Wow…what a mouthful! And yes, this award does work a bit like a chain letter, but if you choose to participate with a warm heart and good intentions, the award can be a fantastic way to spread love to other blogs around the internet…♥…♥…♥

There are different rules circulating out there, but Anuskha recommended looking at the following website for information on The Liebster Award 2018: The Global Aussie, at https://theglobalaussie.com/liebster-award-2018. Or, just check out the rules below:

The Official Rules Of The Liebster Award
If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
2. Display the award on your blog, by including it in your post and/or displaying it by using a “widget.”
3. Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
4. Provide 10 random facts about yourself, and write a small post/paragraph about what makes you passionate about blog posting (which I’ve already done in the paragraph above).  

5. Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have less than 1000 followers (some websites say 200 followers.)
6. Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
7. List these rules in your post.
8. Once you’ve written and published your post, contact/inform the bloggers you’ve nominated for the Liebster Award, and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it.

Now, it’s Question Time from Anuskha:

What or who inspired you to start a blog? ♥…My second son, Gabriel, died in August of 2011. Three months later, in the middle of the night, I woke up and I had to tell his story, which turned into a memoir written in diary format of “conversations” with my sweet angel, recorded over a two-year period. Having difficulty getting my memoir published, as I’m an “unknown,” I was advised to start a blog in an attempt to get a following. Some of what you read in my blog is taken directly from the memoir I wrote.

What do you think is your purpose in life? ♥…That is something I meditate on nearly every day. I can only believe that God chose to take five children from me because, in some way, he knew that I would “heal” and would, in turn, be able to share stories and help others going through similar experiences of loss. And if that was God’s purpose, then I pray that I am living up to his expectations.

Name your one dream place that you want to visit, and with whom. ♥…As I’ve mentioned, I am a huge meditator, and I’ve read that the skies in Tibet are so clear that for most people, it’s as though they’re seeing the actual sky for the first time…cloudless, expansive, unending. I would like to go to Tibet, meditate on that sky, as many monks do, and see where it takes me…and, I would like to do this alone. Just me…just because.

What do you think is one of the greatest problems of society these days? ♥…I think people spend too much time looking outside of themselves for joy, forgetting that true joy comes from within. No one and nothing can bring someone joy, and no one and nothing can take it away. We are the true creators of our lives and our destinies, and when we look outside–whether it’s drowning ourselves in social media, seeking pleasure from our favorite addictions or pointing fingers at peers and leaders, thereby placing blame upon others for “how we feel”–then we are, in essence, saying that we can never be happy or filled with peace because we are counting on someone or something else to do this task for us. Therefore, people stay in a place of unhappiness…and unhappiness breeds more unhappiness, spreading like a disease throughout the fabrics of our world.

What is your greatest fear that you want to conquer? ♥…Hands down, my greatest fear has always been: If I had to, could I support myself and my son? And…if something happened to me and I died, who would take care of my son?

According to you, what is the most important thing among health, wealth and education policies? ♥…I believe that in all areas…religion, politics, education, etc…that representatives in “power” need to cooperate and work together. As I said above, the finger pointing doesn’t work. Arguing, doesn’t work. Placing blame, doesn’t work. These tactics just waste time and resources, leading to anger and further conflict and disagreements. A little open-minded communication, cooperation and respect for one another, and for life on earth, could help the world progress by leaps and bounds.

If the world were to end tomorrow, what would be the last thing that you would want to do today? ♥…watch the sunset, with my son in my arms.

If you got stuck on an island forever with one person, whom would you want to be with as your best company? ♥…Again, I choose my son. Maybe I could manage to show him the joy in life when technology isn’t an option. Although, I would definitely build a sailboat so that he could return, someday, to the modern world…to find and create his own family, and to achieve whatever it is he was sent here to be.

If you become a famous author and get one of the highest awards, like the Pulitzer for your work, then with whom will you share your prize amount? ♥…Family, family, family. And any charity that supports health or safety for children.

Do you follow a philosophy in life? ♥…Yes. In no perfect order, I try to live my life in the present moment, to feel gratitude for every single element in my life, to treat others as I would like to be treated (Golden Rule!!), to love like there’s no tomorrow, and to let go…to surrender to a higher power.

Who is your favorite author and why? ♥…In the past I might have said Jane Austen (love “Pride and Prejudice”) but, then I lost five children, became the victim of grief and serious panic attacks, and I turned to alternative therapies for help. On that journey I found Dr. Joe Dispenza, whose books and meditations saved me. And I mean that literally…his work saved me. He is not the only author/expert I follow in this area, but he was one of the first who began tunneling a path through my cloudy brain. Love him…

Wow, that was really long and, well…pleasantly not too painful!

Ten Random Facts About Me

♥…I sleep with a stuffed animal named “Fuddle-Wuddle.” My son, Julian, gave me this stuffed animal from his collection after my fifth child died. I couldn’t sleep…was panicky at night…and he told me “It will help, Mom.” And it did. I don’t “need” it anymore, but I still sleep with it.

♥…I hum when I’m nervous or anxious. I sing when I’m happy or silly.

♥…I love the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. As far as I’m concerned, that song says it all.

♥…I try to do something that scares the hell out of me at least once a week. I know the recommended goal is to do this once a day, but…I’m a work in progress.

♥…I really am a human wildflower…as my blog defines it: a flower that grows in the wild, not intentionally seeded or planted. That’s what it feels like when someone you love dies. I didn’t plan to be in this spot, and I didn’t want to be in this spot, but…here I am.

♥…I used to have an intense fear of snakes–couldn’t even look at them on the television screen. But now I have a son who likes to pick them up and play with them (the non-poisonous variety) and so I’ve learned to, half-heartedly, accept the little buggers.

♥…I believe that I am continually evolving, moment-by-moment, day-by-day, and that the best of me is most certainly still to come.

♥…I sobbed like a baby when my son Julian stopped nursing. This was before I’d lost any children, but as heartbroken as I was, it was almost as though I knew, somehow, that I would never breastfeed again.

♥…My favorite foods are nuts, greens, dark chocolate and avocados. I could live on them. Num!!

♥…I am up at 3:30/4:00 a.m. nearly every single day to meditate for an hour or so. This might make me sound nuts, but actually it’s given me unbreakable sanity.

Okay…my nominees…keeping in mind that ALL bloggers deserve recognition. We do this on our own time, in most cases without monetary reward, and I believe that for the majority of us, we do it to try to extend help or positivity out to others.

Ewelina Snyder

Gratitude4gratitude

Nishlovepink

The Progress Project

Life and Thoughts

Inspire Someone Today by WAEL

Sunshiny SA

Faded Jeans Living

Crazartt

Dream.Go.Explore

Em is Writing

Questions for my nominees

♥…Who is/was the hero in your life, and why?

♥…What is your favorite topic to blog about?

♥…If you could only use one word, how would you define yourself?

♥…What is your favorite smell from childhood, and what images does it bring up?

♥…Why did you start your blog? What was the motivation?

♥…What are the top three things on your Bucket List?

♥…What is your favorite way to help a friend when he/she is down?

♥…What event, if any, in your life completely changed you?

♥…If you won a million dollars, how would you spend it?

♥…Would you rather own a home or travel the world?

♥…If you could do one thing for the world, in total selflessness, what would that be?

That looks to be the end! Very long post, sorry. But, cheers and…Happy Blogging!

Thanks for liking and sharing!!

Photos on Visualhunt. Photo credit: It’sGreg on VisualHunt / CC BY-ND.