Blogger Recognition Award

A famous actress is asked about her hopes of winning the Oscar for which she is a nominee.  She replies, “It’s an honor just to be nominated.”  And we smirk.

But, why be cynical?  There are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands or millions, of actresses in the world and only about 10 of them are considered every year for the Academy Award.  This nominated actress has received, then, a rare privilege.  A group of her peers has singled out her work, recognizing her talent, skill, and heart.

And that is an honor.

In the blogosphere, we don’t have anything as grand and golden as an Oscar.  But, here in WordPress, we do have blogging awards of different kinds, created by… who knows whom.  Every once in a while, one of us may be “nominated” for one of them.  Some dismiss this, as there is no panel of judges to sort through the nominees and choose a one-and-only for the award.  And there certainly are no red carpets, stage presentations, or accolades amidst the paparazzi.  There is simply a fellow blogger pointing us out to the their share of the blogging world, taking the time to recognize our work, our talent, and our heart.

Truly, that is an honor, too.

And, so, I do feel honored that my friend and fellow blogger, Donna Marie, has named me for the Blogger Recognition Award.  She, herself, is a courageous and generous woman, who writes with more heartfelt enthusiasm than anyone that I know.  What she shares of herself and her life on Rosary and Red Sox inspires me, as it inspires many.  Though we do not meet face-to-face, we meet, instead, heart-to-heart, recognizing each other as fellow writers and women of faith, who persevere through life’s difficult challenges.

Now, Donna Marie, having read my work and followed my blog, has taken the time to publicly recognize me.  I thank her heartily for this, accept her recognition, and am following the responsibilities of the award with this post/reflection…

1. Write a post to show your award.
2. Thank the person that nominated you.
3. Briefly describe your journey as a blogger.
4. Give advice to other bloggers.
5. Nominate the deserving ones.

Okay, with #1 and #2 taken care of, on to the others.

My Blogging Journey

I’ve been writing poetry, snippets of stories, and journal entries since… well, since I could write.  Being naturally curious and observant, and having a deep love for words, beauty, truth, and all records of life, the craft of writing is perfect for me – even if I am far from perfect in it.  The first way that I identify myself is as a human being, lovingly created by God.  Next, is as a writer.

My first blog was designed as a writing challenge.  The idea was to pick a random piece of Scripture and write for one hour on it.  I call them Bible Bursts.  (You can find the original blog HERE or go to BibleBursts.com for new ones.)  And the challenge worked!  After not writing anything for a while, the juices really started flowing and, even better, I gained a great desire to share my work with others.  At about this time, in 2013, I made an Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  And the transformation of my life skyrocketed!

Divine Incarnate, my main blog, was born from this Consecration.  I intended it as a way to publicly journal my personal journey.  Although I know that many bloggers have great ambitions when they first start out, I did not.  I hoped for the best, but expected the worst.  My followers certainly are not many, but I value each and every one of them and am always humbly grateful to hear, either in post comments or in person, that I have inspired people.  You can read the first step in this particular journey with my First Post.

Advice to Other Bloggers

Wow.  You know, this one “rule” made me hesitate to accept.  This little blog of mine is not a great success my general blogging standards, so I don’t really believe that I should be giving advice.  Since it is a responsibility, however, here goes:

Tell the Truth.

That’s really about it.  (Unless your blog is about fiction, of course… but, even then, good fiction hits the heart of truth.)  You have a story to share, that only you can tell, so tell it!  But, be honest.  Be honest about who you are.  Speak from your heart, putting yourself into each and every one of your posts.  Even if you post about recipes or technology reviews, or anything else that you think might not be personal – make it personal.  Tell the truth about why something is important to you – or why it’s not important to you.

And, remember, the truth isn’t whatever pops into your mind at the moment.  The world doesn’t need to hear your every opinion about every single thing.  The truth is your deepest pain and your deepest joy.  It’s “every day’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.”[1] The truth is that small moment of heart-aching or heart-soaring that opens up your soul and helps you to better see.  The truth is all around you when you are quiet, humble, and brave enough to listen.

Nominate Others

In the spirit of recognition, I will simply point out to you, my dear readers, these other bloggers whose work I have lately enjoyed.  Desiring to give honor to their talent and their heart, I name just a few of them here, with no expectations from them of any kind:

Ignatius, As a Little Child

Fr. Stephen Freeman, Glory to God in All Things

Friends of the Franciscans in Canterbury, Agnellus Mirror

The Smiling Pilgrim

Pincrazed  (for something different – lighthearted, funny, practical advice and crafty/yummy ideas)

And with that, I bid you Happy Blogging!

© 2016 Christina Chase

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[1] Sonnet 43, Elizabeth Barrett Browning