Sprucing it up

That blog list in my sidebar is looking a little... dated perhaps? Every one of those friends/family has good reason to not be here everyday updating. And without several of those people, I wouldn't even have discovered blogging, or made so many blog friends. I owe them a huge debt of gratitude. But I am beginning to sense that blogs and blog communities aren't static.

Already in the few short months I have been here, I've witnessed two blogs close. One was a fellow Minnesotan mom who wrote one day that in between church services her husband left her. And she was such a gentle and kind spirit and had developed a special following of people. Within weeks she had to put her house on the market, find full time day care for all three very small children and get a job! One day I clicked over for the last time... poof, she just disappeared. I still tried to go back... I still miss her. The other blog is just closed until further notice... but we all fear the writing is on the wall... instead of on her blog... as many of us have come to know and love. And my little regret? Before she suddenly disappeared, I should have spent a little more time telling her I appreciated her words and her stories and her heart... and her.

So how about a little bloggy love? From me to you. One of the ways I love learning about blog friends is by looking at who they read and who inspires them and where it might be just plain fun to go and hang out. With that in mind... how about if we freshen it up a little? I love all the usual suspects and over the course of time I have discovered a few other ones all on my own.

So check out these blogs. Each one has a story to tell. Many will give you places to go to start at the beginning. You'll laugh or you'll cry... or make a friend. Some may use curse words : ) Some would just like to... But you can agree or not. Stay or go. But if you really, really like them, or their stories, or their cute dog, or whatever... You should tell them. Blog rolls change and grow. So do blogs... and bloggers. Hopefully they don't just one day disappear.