Tribute: A Banner of Thanks

You almost certainly have noticed my gorgeous new banner. It is very special to me because it represents my own little connection to the beautiful, creative force brought to the blog realm by two of the women whose blogs initially enticed me into this world, and then who inspired me to explore more of the things that make me come alive (including, especially, photography). The banner is designed by the wonderful Denise of Bohemian Girl Designs, whose blog Chronicles of Me first grabbed my attention with it's beauty, its honesty, and emotional and soulful depth and range. Thank you lovely Boho for this gorgeous banner. The photo on the left-hand side of the banner is by Susannah whose photography is one of my very favorite treats and whose blog Ink on my Fingers was the first place I ever dared to leave a comment, so consistently moved and impressed was I by the combination of Susannah's writing, her photography and her insight. Thank you for responding Susannah, you started something! This banner is my tribute not only to these two wonderful women whose examples nudged me out onto the path but also to all the other incredible women whose thoughts, words, images, poems, stories, reflections and adventures have become my quite unexpected and most delightful companions along this journey. Could I ever have imagined, when I started this blog, that I would be communicating regularly with a gorgeous human rights lawyer in Morocco whose wonderful dream is coming to life before our very eyes and whose kindness and understanding has brightened many of my days; or a American writer in Paris whose work in Iraq and other places would enable to her to provide me with much needed words of wisdom and support; or a kindred spirit whose path seems to mirror mine and whose gorgeous words and images seem to put my own thoughts into a more eloquent form than I could ever find; or these special ladies of Portland whose extraordinary talents and passions, and gifts for the marvelous have sustained me and entertained me and inspired me to set my inner-fairy free. Could I have divined that I would met a soulful and worldly wise 16 year old living in Saudi Arabia whose passion for justice and drive to live well would refresh my own sense of possibility for the world; or a fellow traveller whose honesty, wit and intelligence combine with a genuine desire to live right and who though sometimes tough on herself is so very kind to me; or a writer whose words stop me in my tracks, drawing me back in over and over again for more and whose honesty gave me the courage to share my own dark days; or an artist and traveller whose eye for beauty shares with me a little light in my day and whose sense of fun and curiosity leads me on adventures in the Garden State. Would I have guessed that I would join forces with this amazing good soul, whose desire to help moved beyond an impulse and grew into an action that rippled and grew and became a real agent for change; or this angel whose words are so heartfelt, so true that I always feel that if I just reached a little I could touch her and experience the loving kindness of her words in the flesh. Did I ever suspect that just a few hours away in Kabul there were women of this kind of with, who could make me giggle even on days when I had given up on cracking a smile, and whose honesty and frankness about their experiences as Afghan-Americans would give me a whole new perspective on this amazing, maddening, heart-wrenching, beautiful country. No, I could not have imagined, I could not have predicted, I did not suspect, I would not have guessed. I started this adventure only a few short months ago, I knew that I needed to do it. I just thought I needed to do it for completely different reasons. But here I am am, and there you all are and I am enjoying this adventure and all that I am learning from you. There are so many others out there, some new discoveries and some regular treats. I swear there are days when I could stay at the computer from morning til night (or, more likely, from night til morning) simply drinking my fill at the seemingly limitless source of spell-binding blogs. So to Susannah, Denise and Laini - who started it all for me - thank you. The banner is my tribute, along with the Laini's ladies who are flying across the world to join me on my adventure!