thank you

A Rose – for the heartstrings you’ve attached to my heart!

/ Penny L Howe / 16 Comments

rosestw

Heartstrings. We all have them. They attach themselves to more things than we realize. Affection, compassion and love develop from heartstrings and the nice thing about them is that while they are not visible to the eye, they are strong and occasionally tug on your heart to let you know they are there and firmly attached. My heartstrings for bloggers began shortly after I began blogging and have grown with the passage of time.

Since I’ve been in the blogging world (a few years) I have interacted with absolutely wonderful people. In general I’ve found most bloggers to be pretty amazing, creative and kind. I have made many friends from around the world. Friends that I cherish. A few aren’t blogging right now, involved with other life pursuits (and I miss you) and for those who are still blogging, well … you know who you are.

I feel as if we’ve known each other our entire life not just a period of time. And I feel love for you and I know it’s returned. Remarkable really when one thinks about us. Some of you live in different countries with different customs and life experiences and yet we are still drawn to one another and I so cherish our friendship.

This Rose is for you! I thank you with all my heart, for being you, for being my friend and for making my life fuller, richer and so much better for knowing you.

Thank you,

~ Penny

Thank YOU – 100,000 visitors, I thank you all!

/ Penny L Howe / 27 Comments

By mensatic

By the time you read this. I will have reached a milestone of sorts. I’ve had one hundred thousand visits from people from around our wonderful planet. Actually stopping by to visit from 155 different countries. I’m most happy and honored to have achieved this much, and am so very grateful for your friendships. I don’t have words to properly convey this as well as I would like so I’ll just repeat, with great sincerity from my heart:

Thank You!

Penny

Dark Nights, Sunny Days and a Thank You!

/ Penny L Howe / 32 Comments

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Are you afraid of the dark? When I was a little girl the dark terrified me. With a hearing impediment (from which I recovered) it wasn’t the sounds of the night that scared me, it was the shadows. My overactive imagination made up for those things I couldn’t quite visualize. It was terrifying.

My father said to toughen up, so no night light for me. My mom would wait until my dad was sleeping and then turn on the hall light. She truly meant to help me; the problem was that everything I could see had an accompanying shadow to go with it. My imagination knew no bounds. Some nights I’d stay awake until the first rays of sunshine shown through my bedroom window. Then I “knew” I was safe and I’d sleep.

I grew up and overcame my fear of shadows – a good thing.

And then in my late twenties I had one of those “close call” experiences that gave me a renewed and much greater love for sunshine. I was attacked, brutally raped and beaten. But I escaped from the men involved and most importantly I survived. As I made my way to freedom that morning, the sun was just rising. In spite of the pain, I was so grateful to see and feel the morning light (knowing I’d get to see my children grow up), that in that very moment, the shining sun became a beacon of hope and renewal.

My children are grown now and my love of the sunshine is stronger than ever. Sunshine is a wonderful thing. The day is always a little bit brighter (both figuratively and literally) when the sun is shining. Many many songs, poems, quotes and sayings have/are being written about sunshine.

Today the sun is shining for me (once again both ways) but primarily because of the amazing bloggers I have connected and shared with online, these past several years.

As I work towards completion of my book, I give thanks to you for supporting me, for caring, sharing and being uniquely you…may the sun shine brightly on you wherever you may be today.

~

“For every negative thing that happens in our life I believe there is a positive.
A golden beacon just around the corner (like the sun) waiting to guide us to a better place.”
~ P.L. Howe, 2014

~

pippalou

Bless you all,

~ Penny

 

My 800th Post! Thank you and what comes next!

/ Penny L Howe / 80 Comments

Credit line: © Gloria Rosazza | Dreamstime.com

Thank You! The last post I published was my 800th post and with more than 75,000 visitors in the past year, I am more honored than I can say to have received the attention, comments and support from all of you!

In the last few months I’ve seen far more visitors than ever before and I can only thank my loyal supporters who have passed the word on about my blog as the reason for this increase. That these new readers then become followers is, as I mentioned, a sincere honor.

This has become a very busy time for me as well. As a side product of blogging, I have been asked to write a book (yes, the one that I’m way late on getting the final draft ready for) but I am also very busy with a couple of other things as well.

Numerous emails from other creative individuals have given me a new money making enterprise (who knew) assisting writers, musicians and other artisans with their “works in process” (at their request), helping through the planning stages of promoting their works! (I guess having a marketing background can help, lol!)

And finally my own personal projects! One of which is more research into the roots of the writing style of haibun from an historic and artistic perspective, along with the desire to pass this information on to others. Also to have some creative fun with this. I’ll continue to write pennyquotes for “A Penny For Your Thoughts” – as the muse takes me. Regarding my other projects, I’ll keep you posted on them too!

However, as a result of all the above, I will no longer be hosting or judging for Ye Pirate’s excellent “Ligo Haibun Challenge“. Instead, information for the Ligo Haibun Challenge will be found at the new website Haven of Haibun, where I will continue to promote the Ligo Haibun Challenge activities (and of course read all the wonderful entries). I will also be posting other “haibun happenings” as I discover them! The Haven of Haibun is in it’s infancy but if you’d like to check it out – and give me a hand in shaping it’s creative direction – click here!

As for “The Why About This” blog – this is my ‘online’ home and will always present the “me” that I am. I will continue to inspire, encourage and inform … always from the hopeful perspective of trying to make a positive and creative difference for the reader.

Once again my most sincere thanks to all of you. Some so very special to me (And you do know who you are!). All my very best, keep taking care of you,

And I’ll keep doing my very best to motivate and inspire – helping you to reach your own personal goals.

~ Penny

A Review and a Special Thank You!

/ Penny L Howe / 41 Comments

Among the first of my blogging friends (we started following each other a little over a year ago) is Stefan (Maxima) and while we live in different countries, neither the distance nor the language has prevented us from being great online friends. From the very beginning I was drawn into the poetic and loving nature of his posts and poems.

The photographs he takes (many are from the roses in his flower garden) are beautiful. His music unique and special. All parts of his blog are produced for the effect of pleasing and entertaining his daily visitors – most especially his poems of love!

Recently Stefan published his first book of love poems. He has put the same care and beautiful sensuality into each page. I encourage you to visit his blog and find out more about his book “Don’t Let Tears Kiss My Face”, click here. Emotionally sensual and vivid, a delight to the mind and eye. Available soon through BookRix to all of those who wish to read and purchase. Congratulations Stefan, well done!

I would like to personally thank Stefan for posting an interview with me, this past Friday, promoting the children’s book, ‘The Shy Butterfly”, written by myself and illustrated by Debbie Edwards.

Your support is greatly appreciated Stefan, I thank you from ~ my heart to yours, dear friend.

~ Penny

Today is my Blogiversary – thank you!

/ Penny L Howe / 107 Comments

fireworks!

One year of residing in the greatest,
creative and supportive artist’s colony of all
Blogland!
*

I wrote 2 blogs in 2011, one blog in February, 2012 and began “officially blogging on June 23rd, 2012. This is what I wrote to all of you on that day, one year ago. It stands as true today as it did one year ago.

~

WHY DO I CARE?

Well now that’s an interesting heading, “Why do I care?” I guess the next question should be “What do I care about?”

The answer to both is a simple one. I care because I just do. In some innate way I feel myself as one human being on a planet filled with human beings that it is my right and responsibility to care about all things that impact me, mine, and ours. That includes everyone out there, everywhere. All the rest is about what and how I care to make things happen that improves our lot in life.

At least I give it my best shot. Some days I do really well in the caring department. Other days not so well. But each day is a new day to do a better job in the caring arena, and so it goes. I guess the next best questions are “Do you care?” and depending on your answers “why?”

“Caring is akin to being human, at least I’d like to think so” – *pennyquote 

Posted on June 23rd, 2012

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Thank you, every single one of you bloggers out there (and you very special ones – you know who youthe troubadour are) for all your support and love.

Thank you for caring, thank you for sharing your amazing and wonderful diversity of creativity, thank you for becoming my friend and most of all – Thank you for BEING YOU!

It’s because of you, I feel like I belong to a special group (bloggers)! please take my I BeLOnG poster with you when you leave,

I’d be honored if you would place it on your blog site – My own colored sketch that I drew, and then designed for all bloggers, everywhere – it’s yours (no linking – this is a gift)!

All my love,

~ Penny

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YES, YES, YES – 2,500+ times yes!

/ Penny L Howe / 61 Comments

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In a world of my own making – imagination, (where as you know all sorts of wonderful thoughts can happen) less than a year ago I began to seriously blog and along the way …

I discovered YOU!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Almost 50,000 visits in a little over 10 months, 2,500+ followers and most importantly – new friends, many new lovely, wonderful and talented friends!

fireworks3

In my imagination this is us celebrating as we come together in our blogging community to share with one another!

*

You have no idea how lucky I feel to know all of you. To read your amazing posts, sharing brilliantly constructed storys, viewing beautiful photography, videos, and illustrations, revealing important information, baring your soul, inspiring and promoting love and positivity, and being your own creative selves in the process!

I am blessed and I thank you with all the love that I am capable of sharing. At a time when I was recovering from a (several years) series of personal tragedies, I began writing and there you were to cheer me up, to encourage and lighten the heaviness in my heart and desperate longing – to be with, a part of – something special. Something larger than my own small concerns and woes.

You have accomplished all this and so much more.

Thank you again for sharing your many gifts of love, grace, humor, and talent.

Thank you for caring, thank you for giving, and mostly

thank you for being you!

…YES, some days the cup does run over!

And because I do want to leave ’em laughing I’ll end my yes post with the most amazing series of YES’s ever! Enjoy:

~

~ Penny

A passage of time

/ Penny L Howe / 37 Comments

All of us are on a journey through life. Each journey encompassing a passage of time.

barefoot boy

Sometimes we travel with someone on our journey. And sometimes we don’t.
The blogging experience is a journey too.  A “blogging” passage of time. One where we are definitely sharing our journey with others.
These last 10 months of blogging, to date, have been wonderful and I’m grateful to so many who have made this passage of time such a good one for me. I’ve met some wonderful people online that have become friends that I cherish.
The time, for me, has been well spent. I’ve learned much and enjoyed more. I hope the future will be even better for all of us in our blogging adventures.
 

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Thank you, for all those who come by to visit and comment. I greatly value you and your comments more than you can know. I’m looking forward to visiting and sharing continuing journeys with you.

~ Penny

penny

You Raise me up…

/ Penny L Howe / 38 Comments

Thank you!

For whatever faith or belief system that you have, there are those days (all of us have those days) when a little extra kind word from a friend or two , or that someone special that can make all the difference in the world!

~

To my blogger friends (you know who you are) I dedicate this song to you! We do so need each other (all of us everywhere) and I thank you with great love in my heart for being who and how your are…

~ Penny

The Gift of Belonging

/ Penny L Howe / 72 Comments

To All my fellow Bloggers’

I wrote a post awhile back called Why I blog. In it I mentioned that the original meaning of the word blog was a chronicle or a written diary (web log – blog), but I also stated that I believed blogging had evolved.

The new breed of bloggers are a creative group of people who care and want to be nurtured in return with comments and words that will further them along in their endeavors (their hopes, their dreams, their goals, their disappointments, their pain, their successes, their joy, their laughter).

Blogging has become much more than a written diary. Now it is a personal connection between like-minded people and a medium of exchange in the finest, truest and most meaningful manner.

So I decided there were a few letters missing from the word BLOG. Those letters are ‘e’ and ‘n’ when blended with the word BLOG you get the word BeLOnG. This is the word that I feel describes the blogging community. A place where we belong. That’s how I feel when I write a post, upload a photograph, share music, videos, recipes, anything that I want to share. When I hit the publish button I feel I’m a part of something so much bigger than I. I feel I’m making a difference.

When I follow and visit other bloggers I feel connected. When I read their posts and share in the comments then I know I’m a part of something enriching and vibrant. I finally feel I’ve found a place where I fit in. Where I belong.

In the last several weeks I have been honored in a variety of ways and I am humbled by the caring appreciation bestowed upon me by this wonderful community of bloggers.

The response I have received from all of you is gratifying and overwhelming:  Reblogs, the links sharing me on twitter and Facebook, the mentions on other blogs, an original poem dedicated to me, (thank you again mixedupmeme) the wonderful comments, the nominated blogger awards (I apologize I am behind there, I think there’s 4 or 5 more to go!). I am so grateful.

I wanted to do something special for all of you. I wanted to give you a gift. Something to give to you that you could share in return.

My gift to you is the gift of Belonging Award. There are no rules. It is yours to take if you wish and share it in return with other bloggers when they visit your blog. Pass it along, that’s why I made it. To remind all bloggers they do belong. That’s it’s purpose.

To those who Blog, I honor you, you belong to the Blogger’s community.

Please accept this gift of Belonging Award. There are no rules. Just post it on your blog, share it with your followers and enjoy!

The picture I sketched some time ago. He is a Troubadour. In the middle ages the troubadour was a traveler. A talented and clever person who wrote and sang songs and shared stories with those he met in his travels, A little bit like bloggers today. Our travel method is a bit different is all. The words at the bottom say I BELONG with the word I BLOG superimposed over it. I hope you’ll share the story of the Troubador when you pass this award on to other bloggers who belong. It does seem to be the one thing we bloggers do well – Share!

With heart felt thanks, Penny