Thanks!

I was busy listening to the Cubs’ ill-fated attempt at postseason redemption this evening, so I missed the Okie Blogger Roundup over at Hideaway Pizza on Cherry Street … where, as it turns out, I apparently fared much better than Chicago’s boys in blue.

I got online a minute ago to see whether Yet Another Small Town Moment had won an Okie Blogger Award (it hadn’t, but go read it anyway, because it’s one of my favorites), and lo and behold, I discovered that Red Fork Hippie Chick had won the Best Inspirational Blog category.

In retrospect, I probably should have ditched the Cubs, grabbed my laptop, and grabbed a slice or two with the bloggers. I’m sure no one would have minded if I kept one eye on the MLB Web site while I celebrated my own victory and drowned my sorrows over the Cubs’ loss with a giant chocolate-chip cookie.

Ah, well. Just wait ’til Maybe next year.

In the meantime, if I were going to make an insufferable little acceptance speech, I would have to thank everybody who voted for me; Ron, who helped me start this blog; the late Jim Jung, whose Waterman and Hill-Traveller’s Companion was my initial inspiration; Mary Baker Eddy, whose writings underpin most of my riffs on faith; my Primary class teacher, who doesn’t seem to mind the fact that he is doomed to spend the rest of his earthly existence answering my incessant questions about Christian Science; and, of course, the source of all right ideas: God.

But really, y’all … thanks to those of you who voted for me, and to those of you who weren’t eligible to vote for me but would have if you could, and to those of you who didn’t vote for me but are kind enough to read me even if I’m not your favorite. (“Tree people out there, God bless you. I’m singing for you, too.”*)

It means a lot to hear that my small effort to put something positive into the blogosphere and uplift others’ thoughts a little bit is having the desired effect. Thanks for the recognition. 🙂

Congratulations to all the winners and all the nominees … and a big thanks to all the great bloggers — in Oklahoma and beyond — who keep me informed, enlightened, and entertained every day. Speaking as a busybody, I appreciate your willingness to open your hearts and lives to a complete stranger every day just to give me something to read. When you think about it, that’s a pretty amazing gift.

Emily

* First person to identify the source of that quote wins a fabulous prize.

UPDATE: On a totally unrelated note, I have been playing around with the idea of making some changes to the look of my blog, so I may be test-driving different templates and header images over the next few days to see how they work before I settle on something permanent. Please bear with me….