Multiple Thanks

 

As promised, here’s my birthday thank-you note:

Dear Readers,

You know I couldn’t do this without you. Every time you return to this page you take part in a relationship where I give my best and you receive it and participate in that process of thought, creation and response. None of this would make sense in a vacuum. Readers bring it to life.

I was reminded of some of the important things you do when I got this response to yesterday’s post from HoCoMoJo’s Ilana Bittner:

Sooooo.... in the new series, the driver is Ms Frizzle’s little sister Fiona. I think she looks more like Kate McKinnon, who does her voice. 

PROFESSOR Frizzle is still played by Lily Tomlin, and generally resembles the original. 

Oh my word. There it is: I saw something on Twitter and it seemed plausible enough to me that I didn’t even double-check it. My apologies. I still don’t like the way she’s drawn but she isn’t who I thought she is. That matters. And having readers who will take the time to fill you in without making you feel like an idiot in the process is a gift indeed.

Then there are the readers who will privately message me about typos. You are always so kind and I’m grateful every single time. There’s a certain thoughtfulness there which reminds me of the friend who will pull you aside to whisper that your bra strap is showing. I do proofread the blog but clearly things get through and make it “to print”. Your watchful eyes find things that slip right by me.

I’m even thankful for the readers who disagree with my posts: in particular, those who can engage in a discussion of the ideas without resorting to personal attack. I certainly don’t write a blog in order to prevent other people from having opinions. And I can’t possibly always be right about everything, although, at the time of a post, I’m usually pretty convinced. But exchanges with thoughtful readers have helped me think and grow over time.

That’s a special gift you have there. Don’t think it goes unnoticed.

Every once in a while I see you share a post if it has meant a lot to you. That means a lot to me, too. It’s like getting an unexpected bunch of flowers. It probably would carry much less meaning if it happened all the time. But, when a reader deems something worthy of passing on to their own circle, that’s a sign of trust. As a community blogger, I work to be worthy of that. 

One more thing: if you’ve ever written a letter because I asked you to, or made a donation, or attended a local function because I wrote about it: thanks. You are what gives the blog “legs”. Heck, you are the legs. And that’s an important role to play in the life of a blog.

So thanks for all that you do. Thanks for returning to this space just to see what’s going on. Thanks for adding your two cents. Know that when I sit down to write every morning, I have you in mind.

Sincerely,

jam

Village Green/Town²