I’m so sorry Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls from all over the world. I’m at least a week late with this post. I offer especially humble apologies to my favorite Scotsman, Seumas! Now, without further ado…

I’m in the way of being friends with an ol’ Jurassic some of you may know. Seumas Gallacher is what he calls himself. I’ve heard that others use somewhat more colorful epithets when they talk about him. I’ll not say if it’s true or not, but I’ve heard it nonetheless. Well, that ol’ Jurassic has a heart as big as a Number 2 washtub, I reckon. A few days ago he conferred on me the much coveted Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

Very Inspiring Blog Award

There I stood with my face hanging out, no speech prepared, with my knees knocking out the tune of Auld Lang Syne! Ol’ Big Jim? Very Inspiring? Well, I’m still pretty much hornswoggled by the whole thing, but I want to tell you I’m grateful as all hell to Seumas for the Award. You should find your way over to his place, if it’s real inspiration you’re looking for. Just click this link, and like magic you’ll be there!

Course, the award didn’t come without a few strings attached. I have to perform four tasks. Thankfully, they aren’t as impossible as the four tasks Psyche had to do in order to get Cupid back from Aphrodite. My tasks are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and link to their blog.
2. Display the award logo.
3. Nominate at least 15 other blogs and provide a link where they may be found. Then go to their blog, leave a comment to let them know they’ve been nominated, and where to find the information they need to accept (rules).
4. Mention three things that inspired you the most during the past few weeks.

Congratulations to all of you, listed below, whom I’ve nominated. You are under no obligation to accept it. Each of you has a unique blog that inspires me continuously and I’m looking forward to seeing your offerings in the upcoming year. And, the nominees are:

1. Till Graduation (Ahmed Fraih) http://tillgraduation.wordpress.com/
2. Hello and welcome to Caz’s Devon Blog Diary (Caz Greenham) https://cazgreenhamdotblogspotdotwordpressdotcom.wordpress.com/
3. Subhan Zein http://subhanzein.me/
4. Lada Ray Blog http://ladaray.wordpress.com/
5. Shawn L Byrd http://shawnbird.com/
6. Terry1954 http://terry1954.wordpress.com/
7. Little Write Lies (Taylor Eaton) http://littlewritelies.com/
8. ahamin (A H Amin) https://ahamin.wordpress.com/
9. Armand Rosamilia http://armandrosamilia.com/
10. Author Ruth Watson-Morris https://authorvoxiansseriesbooks.wordpress.com/
11. The Misty Lady http://laikazhang.wordpress.com/
12. Bridget Whelan http://bridgetwhelan.com/
13. White’s Wyrd World http://jbcultureshock.wordpress.com/
14. Jackie Jones http://jackiejonesblogs.com/
15. Chris Martin Writes http://chrismartinwrites.com/

I’m inspired, almost daily, by so many people and events around me.

1. Zeek’s mother inspires me constantly. She is the most compassionate and generous person I’ve seen in many a year. She never stops collecting things to give to others who are less fortunate. When we have a family dinner or barbecue, she always sets aside a portion to give to a hungry family. She frequently sends things to me; little gifts, special foods, so many things. She does all this without being showy; she just quietly goes about her way, spreading help and hope wherever she goes. I would like to be as caring and generous as her.
2. Today, we are in the middle of a rather harsh weather system. A nameless group of Jordanians have banded together ahead of the snowstorm to give assistance to their neighbors. Two days ago they began posting their mobile numbers in case anyone needs help. At a Koran center near Mafraq, food and other supplies have been stored in readiness for helping those who need it. Two of their own cars are parked at the center for delivery. Other groups, like the 15 young Jordanians in Balaama and the twenty-two Circassians as well as many others have made themselves available to help their neighbors with transport, medicine, gas cylinders, and food. These people inspire me greatly.
3. Finally, I’ve recently been most inspired by the universe. Making a move halfway across the globe can be somewhat intimidating at the best of times. But occasionally, just occasionally things work out. We’ve been trying to get a visa for Zeek to go to the US since about 2002 without success. Recent changes in the immigration laws suddenly opened the way for us and the visa was granted. I made the announcement on Facebook that we’d be going back to Alabama and nearly instantly received two very good job offers. I’m happy to say I’ve accepted one of them and will begin working just a few days after our arrival! Yep, sometimes life just works out and those of us for whom it’s working out should be very, very grateful. I am.
4. I was only required to cite three examples of inspiration, but I just have to go one more step and remember the inspiration I get from a select few of my readers. First, every person who clicks on and reads my poor efforts at writing are appreciated more than any of you will ever know. Thank you for following me! In that group of followers and readers is a cadre of folks who never fail to click the “like” button, share my posts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other sites. And, most importantly, they frequently post comments telling me what they thought. Comments on a blog are like book reviews. They keep us going, working on that next post, and publishing our innermost thoughts. Thank you for the encouragement. Without your words I’d never feel inspired to post another word.

Thank you again, Seumas, for the award and for the opportunity to recognize a few of my fellow bloggers. Finally, Happy New Year to all my readers all across the planet!

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UK

India