"thinking blogger"

I received an email from Annie, (My Life as Annie) today, letting me know that her blog had been chosen to receive the "Thinking Blogger Award" from another blogger and she then chose my blog as one of her five! The way I understand this award is as follows: each person who is chosen for the award is then asked to choose five other bloggers that they believe cause the reader to "think" when the posts on those chosen blogs are read! So now I get to pass on the award to five bloggers - how great is that?!

My first choice, if someone other than Annie had nominated me, would have been Annie! Annie is my sister-in-law, someone that I have probably gotten to know better in the last three years than I have in the 18 years that I've been married to her brother! I have come to know how great her faith in the Lord is and how dedicated and loving she is to her husband and her children! I have learned, really through the email updates on Izzy in the beginning, and then through her blog once she started posting there, that she is completely unselfish in her desire to put her family before herself and also the great lengths she has taken to make sure that Izzy receives the best possible treatments available for her recovery. I know that Annie - and Matt - have put Isabelle in God's hands from the beginning and have allowed God to lead them through this journey upon which they have been sent! Annie once said that before they take on any treatment program for Izzy, they lay it at our Savior’s feet and if a path is opened to them, they know God has gone before them and will guide them through it. Annie is an inspiration to me in the way she has taken such an overwhelming experience and shared with so many how awesome life is for those who have a relationship with God!

I started my blog as a way to talk about the joys and the sorrows I was experiencing while caring for my Mother who suffered from Dementia. Being able to express my feelings in this way was very therapeutic for me and even though my Mother has now passed away, I continued to post about events in my life.

I have met so many new people through blogging and many of them are people that I would love to meet and get to know in real life, as well! Those who know me well know that I am somewhat of an introvert when it comes to making close friends, so blogging has helped me meet new people that I would never have met!

Now that I've said all that, I will tell you about five other blogs that I feel are worthy of the "Thinking Blogger Award"!

My number one choice is Homeschool Mommy from Oklahoma, which my daughter, Elizabeth started recently. Elizabeth had been posting on MySpace for quite a while, but found that through Blogspot there were so many bloggers that she could relate to on a more compatible level! Elizabeth writes on topics about which she is very passionate. She is a wife to Michael, a homeschooling Mommy and a home daycare provider! She is first and foremost a child of God and shares her faith in many of her posts. She has ideas about homeschooling that will cause you to think and yet she does it in a way that is non-judgmental on those of us whose children are in public school. I think if you check out her blog, you will be blessed by her words!

The second one is Mike's (Fading From Memory). His blog description is as follows: "What happens to a family when both parents are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease? This weblog chronicles the experiences of one such family in Sydney, Australia." I found this blog while I was caring for my Mom who suffered from dementia. Mike shares the world of Alzheimer's in a very open and honest way. Alzheimer's and Dementia are probably two of the most horrible diseases I can imagine and Mike's postings helped me many times while I was caring for my Mom. Sometimes reading his post helped me remember that I was not alone in that awful and disrupting world known as Dementia.

My third choice deserving of the award is Valerie's (I am My Kids Mom). Valerie is a mother to two adopted daughters and shares through her writing, some of their life experiences. Valerie has been a visitor to my site several times and always, through her comments inspired me and showed compassion as I worked and cared for my Mom in her illness. Valerie is not afraid to show her weaknesses and ask for prayer when this life seems overwhelming! Valerie is truly one of those bloggers I would like to meet in real life!

Another site that I read often is that of Abbie (Pray for Abby). I found this site through Izzy's and have continued to read of Abbie's journey to recovery from her near-drowning accident. This site, like Izzy's - causes you to think especially if you are a parent "There but for the grace of God, go I". How many of us as parents thought as our children were growing up that nothing like this could ever happen to us? It does happen - every day - to someone who doesn't deserve it! The journey Abbie's family is on, much like Izzy's is one of faith, dedication and trust in God and his healing power!

The last site is Natalie's (Bonafide bunkum). I don't know Natalie in real life, but I know her parents and they are amazing people, so I know that she must be as well! I found this site through GiGi's, through Annie's. I know it seems like I find a lot of blogs to visit through Annie's and that's true - I do! Natalie is a single mom and shares her life through her posts. She shares her struggles and her good times and it makes you appreciate all the blessings in your life!

Those are my five - and I could have listed many more! I am really glad I was introduced to the blogging world where I can learn many ways to be a better wife and mother, have better organizational skills,where I can be entertained or just relax with some good reading! (lol) Thanks again, Annie for this award and I hope the five I've chosen will become "thinking" blogs for other readers, too!

Congratulations, you won a "thinking blogger award"!1. Elizabeth - Homeschool Mommy from Oklahoma
2. Mike - Fading From Memory
3. Valerie - I am My Kids Mom
4. Abbie - Pray for Abby
5. Natalie - Bonafide Bunkum

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. I thought it would be appropriate to include them with the meme.The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).