The blogging world can be intimidating.  You put all this powerful emotion into a piece, hit publish, and wait to see what happens next.  Deafening silence?  Troll cruelty?  A lukewarm response that makes you wonder why you bother writing at all?

It’s hard to lay it all out there like that.  Writers usually come to accept there isn’t any other way to truly live, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still a little freaked out by the exposure.  Will people love us?  Hate us?  Ignore us entirely?

But then there is blogger kindness.  The kind that holds out a hand to you and pulls you through to the other side.  The sort that restores your faith in humanity.

It’s bloggers like OM, who generously shared one of my posts on his blog.  I still remember being at the lake, joyously showing my sister that I’d had the highest number of views on my blog ever.

People like Tonya at Fourth Generation Farmgirl, who graciously answered my questions throughout my beginner phase.  She remains a supportive friend and reader, and her blog is both diverse and delightful.

It’s kicky writers like Joey at Joeyfully Stated.  Her wicked sense of humor has lightened many a dark day, and she likes to leave her thoughts behind on my posts.  I love that.  It means I’m not writing into the abyss.

Bloggers like van at vanbytheriver, a woman whose terrific sense of humor bleeds through her writing until you’re giggling madly.  The piece on thinking about becoming a vegetarian every Wednesday?  Classic.

And then there’s Jim from Random Writings on the Bathroom Wall.  He’s a longtime reader, usually adding his own tongue in cheek humor to the comments.  Jim truly does post the most random things – which I consider a commitment to truth in advertising.  The kind of things that pull a smile from deep down inside, usually accompanied by a snort.

The lovely blogger at barnraised has been with me from the start, visiting RFTM and leaving her thoughtful comments behind.  Her blog often features striking photos from her barn focused life, pictures that are sure to make you smile.

Then there’s the always positive Ritu at But I Smile Anyway.  You’ll find Spidey’s Serene Sunday reflections here and lovely haikus, among other things worth reading, and Ritu never fails to inspire.  She can be just the lift I need on a difficult writing day.

These are only a few of the writers in this blogger world who’ve lent their support during my journey to rediscover my voice.  They’ll probably never truly know how much their graciousness and thoughtful comments have inspired me, but I hope this post will help them realize how deeply grateful I am.

My post as part of Colline’s Gratitude Project.