Dear Community, A Love Letter….

Dear All of You who Read “You Want Honest? I’ll Give you Honest….”,

Thank you.

You kept me from drowning. Figuratively, of course…..not literally.

Thank you for telling me you understood what it is like to feel as though you can’t get it all done. You helped me stand up and knock a few things off my list.

And be ok with the things I couldn’t get done.

Your understanding made it possible for me to breathe.

Thank you for telling me you smiled and nodded as you read.  It made it possible for me to smile and nod, instead of cry and nap.

Thank you for telling me it was ok to cry and nap.  Because your permission made it possible to ignore the urge.

Thank you for saying, ‘thank YOU, Danielle, for writing this…” because you allowed me to bust some myth that existed that there is ANYONE, ANYWHERE that has it ALL together.  People, I don’t.  You don’t.  She doesn’t.

Thank you for being kind while I was vulnerable….  you could have told me to ‘suck it up’, but instead you reminded me why I adore this space….because, generally, we pick up, not tear down.

We look for the good.

Thank you for forgiving my weakness, accepting my nervous parenting, my paralization instead of progress.

And finally, thank you, THANK YOU, for being the amazing, beautiful, understanding people you are… the kind to say, ‘THANK YOU’ to me when I didn’t DO ANYTHING but cry on your virtual shoulders….

You lifted me up.  You made THIS week possible.  I leave for the book tour this week….(will I get to see some of you??) on Thursday, actually…and because of you?  I’m ok with that.

So… fist bump… air kiss… big squeeze…bear hug… whatever you want… that’s how I feel about you.

Photo Credit: Flickr: Jennifer Donley

P.S.  What I should really do for each of you…. is print a copy of this ‘letter to show I care’ that I found today via by friend Phil Gerbyshak

  • http://www.deepintolove.com/ Craig S.

    (((heart))) You know the beginnings, you are in large part responsible for this middle. For all the above – that’s why I chose this community – that’s why I remain. For all the above – except not said about the community – but said about YOU – that’s why this community needs YOU. God Bless and keep you and yours Danielle!!  Break a leg!!

    PS I know where I’ll be October 19th or 29th ツ 

  • Anonymous

    Thank you, for thanking me, for thank you, when you needed thanks and to know that we were thankful of you and thanking you for thanking us. Thank you.

    And, as an aside, as the inventor of the fist-bump, any fist-bumps resulting from this column will in turn require a 10-cent contribution to my personal fist-bump fund.

  • Danielle Smith

    Craig – thank you so much for that – I’m very grateful.  :) 

  • http://twitter.com/TheOhanaMama Sarah Burns

     Have an amazing book tour! And thank you for your honesty and permission to really let it all out. sending lots o love!

  • Danielle Smith

    Aaron…. you’re welcome.  And, as the inventor of the fist-bump, we’re all grateful you are here. Too bad you didn’t trademark :)  

  • Danielle Smith

    Grateful for you my friend – I so appreciate that. 

  • http://www.dineanddish.net Kristen

    Oh how I can relate. I could have written every word in this post… but I would have never gotten it up because I would have procrastinated writing it! Well done for getting it out there. I’m sure so many of us can relate!