Bloggy Love

5 Minutes For Mom is hosting a blog carnival called Say it FORWARD. It's a time when you can say thank you to your loyal commenters.

I know that many people enjoy reading blogs but many never comment. Now don't get me wrong. I'm glad for the people who are faithful to read but ...it's really so nice to know someone is listening!

This past Sunday I was reading one of my favorite blogs Just Another Day in Paradise. I added a comment and refreshed my page and voila ...I saw this post with my picture on it. What a pleasant surprise! Thank you Kate. And I hope you take the time to visit her blog. I plan to write a bit more about it next week.

I want my first Say it Forward post to highlight and thank my new friend, Lori of Lori's Reflections. Lori was one of the first bloggers I made friends with online. I know for some ...the internet can be a scary place to make friends. Of course, we need to always be careful but I've been blessed with some wonderful new friends in the blogosphere. And it's come at a time when I'm working at home so I'm not free to be out and about doing lunch and shopping with my friends.

Lori and I met when Darren Rowse, who is a full time blogger from Australia, had a social fest on ProBlogger. He encouraged bloggers to add a comment and to list their blog names, twitter and Facebook profiles. Bloggers had the opportunity to find people to connect with who might have common interests. The day I participated I ended up with more friends than I ever had in my entire life. However, only a few continued to keep coming back and one of those was Lori.

Lori is a wife and mother to three growing boys. Lots of testosterone in their home, I'm sure. She grew up in Arizona (too bad I didn't meet her then) but now lives in Florida. Hmm ...I even lived in Florida for a few years. You can read more about her here. She graduated from college with a degree in communications.

When I first started using Twitter, she would send me a message after reading something I posted. I remember the day Sarah Palin was invited to be Senator John McCain's running mate, Lori and I twittered back and forth. And when one of my dear friends was dying, Lori was immediately there for me with words of comfort.

Lori writes book reviews and even got to interview Rebecca St. James! She writes a weekly post called "Looking Back" and highlights things she's read and learned during the week. I've discovered many jewels by linking to the lessons she's learned or simply enjoyed reading. She's a devotional writer at Laced with Grace. And did I mention that Lori is a book reviewer at Christian Women Online?

So, on my first Say it Forward post I want to thank Lori. Despite her busy schedule, she always makes the time to add a comment to Heart Choices.