I guess I'm just happy lately and find myself living in a state of gratitude about every part of my life. "Absolute Joy" is a term I love to say many times during the day among others. Gratitude for a beautiful and loving husband who is caring and kind. Grateful for my beautiful and loving companion GiGi, who makes me joyful each and every minute I'm with her. Grateful for a beautiful daughter who is responsible and giving in all she does in life. Grateful for my grandsons and how beautiful they are.
And so with a promise that I would not do another "Members Only" post this weekend and now here I am....what can I say....Joy needs expressing...I guess!
There are so many wonderful bloggers here in the RAIN. If you are new to ActiveRain and do not know these people, you may want to subscribe to their blogs and join the groups they have created and cared for on the highest level. I'll try to provide links that make it easy for you.
They all "Pay It Forward" countless times in sharing their expertise and "how to" technical know how". We have learned so much from so many. And so with gratitude....
The ActiveRain Team and Bob Stewart--gentleman extraordinaire in my book. With a wonderful love of family both on a personal and professional level, he leads the way for the ActiveRain Team and for the level of support we all receive through the gambit of tough issues to celebration of new ideas and solutions for the membership. Constantly maintaining the highest level of service and support on a mega level of complexity and drama, this fine young man rises TALL for us all! Seriously, this man is grounded. I've personally only seen him loose it once and then it was funny! He is made out of solid goodness. He's definitely the man for the job and his team reflects it in all they do! Awesome effort and TEAM! Jonathan please give Bob anything he wants. We like and need him major!
Brad Andersohn--the nicest and smartest guy on the good Earth. Generous to a fault and talented beyond belief. Bob please give him a raise. We never and I mean NEVER want to loose this fine man! Early on Brad was in Title....I think....I'm like reaching way back in time. He was a wonderful blogger and set the standard for informative posts on "how to" and "Paying It Forward". Whenever I had a question as a "Newbie", I always went to Brad's blog to get my answer. I still do. Well, that worked well for Brad and he transitioned into doing what he loved to do.....immerse himself in the ActiveRain world of Social Networking. He became and still is Community Manager and Builder here within the RAIN as a staff member of the ActiveRain Team! How good is that! He so well deserves the good fortune that has come his way and his ability to live doing what he loves. Doesn't get better than that in my book. Thanks Brad for all you do!
Broker Bryant and TLW....ROAR!--The Dynamic Duo for sure. We learn real estate from Broker Bryant and occasionally from TLW but mostly we learn Blogging etiquette from TLW. She teaches us with humor about just plain good manners in the blogging world. She visits us and mentors us and shakes a finger when we screw up. I remember in my earlier days she came over to my blog for a visit and told me that my blog was a mess and that I would have more Readers if my blog didn't go off the screen the way it did. I got busy and fixed it right then and there. Took those silly widgets off and reworked them. She has also been a wonderful coach and supporter on some posts that got rough and tough. We learn here in the RAIN and TLW is our chief Blogger in Charge of Learning and Support. Visit her blog and spend sometime there. You will come to appreciate this wonderful lady. She's got tons of class and a little bit of crap that she talks about. It's all good! Bryant....well he teaches us everyday about real estate and how those in the know can make it happen. Visit Bryant's Blog and you will learn! I think one of my favorite things about Broker Bryant is that he will now and again say "For Pete sake people....it's only a blog!
Sally Cheeseman--has taught me so much about style and grace. She sets the standard for bloggers and the etiquette we live by with her writing and her blog. Ever present in her awareness of the Consumer and how we conduct ourselves in the blogosphere, Sally sets by example an elegant and graceful style of blogging that benefits the community of ActiveRain. Her group has long been an established group where one goes to find solace and inspiration on the highest level. Visit and join the group "Positive Attitude for the Weary Soul" and you always have a place to enjoy a good and positive read!
Missy Calk--my goodness! What does one say about the nicest lady on the planet. Smart and funny and always there to comment and support. Missy Caulk is the ActiveRain cheerleader with a smile and some great style. I love going to visit her blog for a good read and I always come away with some new thing or idea to implement. She is a "thought leader" within the forum and in our Industry. She rocks!
Liz Moras--Classy and then Classy again! Wow...have I learned from this sweet lady about composure and the heated debate and how a professional maintains their balanced perspective and peaceful spot within themselves. I think Liz may have had at least in my experience one of the toughest post to manage. She did it with a steady hand and a level of balance and grace that was so admirable. I hope that some day, I will be able to say that I can maintain my center of balance and always respond in the comment stream in an objective and respectful manner. Sometimes we cannot make it come out right and knowing when and where to stop it is always important. I am grateful for my friendship and the opportunity to learn from this lovely lady and fine writer! You will enjoy her blog.
And so with warm feelings of gratitude and appreciation, I am closing out this post for the day. There are so many people that I left out. I think I'll do this on a regular basis. It is good to be grateful for things in life that make us happy and joyful. My ActiveRain Bouquet of Gratitude is full and overflowing!
Here's hoping I get all the links right! Let me know if I miss one! I hope I spelled everyone's name correctly! Nightmare of nightmares!
Jeanean
You have selected a great group of active rain members.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
A great group to get a boquet of gratitude!
Lou, thanks for commenting.
Cindy, we have such a wealth of people here in the RAIN that are dedicated to protecting what has been built here. It is a forum of trust and value that many very dedicated bloggers work hard to protect. It's an honor to pay tribute!
How very sweet Jeanean :-) You've made my day. I will always remember that post........lol........how could I forget? You know robert swetz has a contest running - on most memorable A/R moments.....it ends tomorrow and noon -you should enter this? I've wondered about whether I should enter that long ago post of mine? lol.......any ideas? Thanks again! And you now...this doesn't have to be 'members only' ..:)
Hello Sweetie (Liz)! You are so smart and I love getting advice from you. That long ago post of yours is a AR moment to remember....Sardi...was funny starting the whole thing over....who would have thought! These are not best AR moments....but best AR members and you are top notch! Love ya!
The bouquet is beautiful, and with all the new computer tech stuff out there, I caught myself doing a "Scratch and Sniff" on the computer screen flowers. I actually think I can smell them. lol~ The gratitude goes right back to you Jeanean. Members like YOU make working here one of the best jobs in the world. Thanks for all you do and for all you contribute to YOUR community. You Rock!! :-)
Beautiful tribute and I thank you so much for the mention too. It's all the people we 'grew up with' that make this a great place...the people behind the words for sure! You are one who gives back tenfold Jeanean and we commend you!
Brad, you are such a nice person to be a "Rock Star"! We all so admire and love you! Thanks again for being you. I go on rather much about what we have here in the RAIN but sometimes there just are not words to express how exceptional it all is. We are blessed...all of us. Thanks Brad for the visit and read!
Sally, you are my hero and my inspiration. You work hard for the level of contribution you make....I know and we all appreciate it so much! Thanks for coming over for the Kudos coming your way!
Jeanean, well thank you so much for your kind words. I wish I could tell you how very much I appreciate them especially today. I can only say the words, thank you, but they mean so much. I may not only be able to express it in words, but my heart is overflowing with gratitude.
Jeanean,
Thank you so much for the kind words. I am continually humbled by my position here and by the impact ActiveRain has had on so many amazing people. This community is a testament to the outstanding contributions of our members. The people you mention, and so many others, make this place seem like family and we couldn't be more proud of the way it has developed.
When we started out with the idea of ActiveRain we hoped that people would use it to share ideas and that as a result consumers would seek out the advice and knowledge of our members as they bought a home. To that degree, I believe our members have been successful. We had NO IDEA the level of camaraderie that would develop. That is the part that has been the most rewarding for our team. Every time I attend a function where AR members are meeting for the first time (or seeing each other again) I get goosebumps watching the scene unfold.
Again, thank you!
Hi Jeanean! I stumbled upon this post from TLW's friendship quandry! I had put out a request to give back and then share with me the link to the post that you've written. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!
You're right on the money with the menbers that you featured here! I love each and every one of them and am so very grateful for this forum--THANK YOU ACTIVE RAIN! I just can't tell you how much I've learned and grown here. I've talked to several of them and can't get over the amount of giving that those in this community do--and they don't do it for themselves either!
I wanted to add that I've met Missy in peron and she's as wonderful and gracious as she appears in her posts--(it's always wonderful to meet fellow bloggers in person too)! And, the funny thing is, each and every one of them that I've met in person, is exactly the way that I thought they were by the way that they write!
Great post!
Hello Missy, sorry to be late in responding....rough couple of days. It is so my pleasure to express just how rich AR is and how kind so many members are on a constant level of contribution. You rather head that list in many ways. I and so many other have felt your support on many occasions. Thanks for being the most positive and supportive member here in the RAIN!
Hello Bob, thanks for such a great comment. I can imagine how rewarding it all is for you and your team. My husband and I continually talk about what we realize is a dynamic self-referral improvement system. It is every changing and it helps people learn in multi-dimensional ways. We dreamed of it long ago and it is so wonderful to see it in reality as this creative system that is a work of art literally. On top of that we have the relationship aspect and as you have described so well....it is the richest part! Thanks again for all you and your team do on a daily basis for all of us!
Hello Debe, we use to do this more often and I missed it. Felt the need to do a bit of remembering and telling good stories. I look forward to attending some event soon and starting to meet what I consider to be my best friends. Thanks for stopping by and adding to the value of the post!