Smiles R Us

Ian at Or So I Thought has given me the Smile Award. Ian's posts are always enlightening, entertaining, and I have spent many a smile at his delightful site, so I am particularly thrilled to receive it from him. Thank you, Ian.

We all like to smile. Every baby's first smile is notable to his adoring parents, and throughout our lives, we smile at others to communicate so many emotions. Different smiles for each of them. We would be lost without our smiles.

I am now supposed to honor five (only) bloggers who make me smile. This is no easy task as all my sidebar buddies make me smile at different times, in different ways. I get to exercise my entire repertoire of smiles as I go from one delicious site to another. I live in Smile Heaven.

Sigh.

How can I possibly narrow it down?

Bigger sigh.

But I'll try.

Pam at Audio Video Disco... I Hear... I See... I Learn is one of the most supportive and sunny people on the planet. Her photography is wondrous, and even more so is her giving spirit. If there were no smiles in the world, Pam would have invented them.

Franki at Frankily Yours makes me smile (and laugh) often with her acerbic wit, her straightforward honesty which would be childlike if not for her sophisticated turn of phrase. She has brought forth every kind of smile I possess at one time or another.


Rebecca at Rebecca James is new to me. I haven't known of her blog for long, but she is a published author whose talent is the perfect vehicle for her big heart and sweet spirit. She makes me smile in recognition of our shared humanity as she writes about events that so many of us can relate to.

The Thinker at Theory of Thought is a phenomenon, in my view, in that she is a teenager who writes with the instincts of a seasoned author. She is honest, funny, complex and a spiritual seeker in that she tries hard to be the best person she can and to facilitate the same in others. There are many smiles to be had there.

JR at JR's Thumbprints & Other Such Vagaries makes me smile because he is someone who makes a difference in the world. He teaches at a prison. It is hard to imagine a more difficult and demanding job, although lately, it seems that his greatest challenge is not his students but the state system which has determined that educators are non-essential. JR is also a fine poet, and if you don't already know him, he will make you smile, too.


I offer a special smile to all who read here, some of whom have become back channel friends as well. I try to spread these awards around when they come my way, but in my view, you are the most smile-worthy group of people ever and all of you deserve each of these little acknowledgments.

My face hurts from all this smiling. I think I need to do some really good frowning now.