I'm Speechless ......

...... truly.

I have been out of the house all day long.
All.
Day.
Long.

It's now 1:13 a.m.
I got home about an hour ago.

And finally sat down to my computer to catch up on emails and what nots.
I usually have quite a few "what nots" ...... how about you?

Anyway, when I went on to my FB page, this is what I saw:

Michele Neff Hernandez

5 hours ago

I just nominated Janine Teague Eggers as a Voice of the Year for this amazing post. The response has been overwhelming to the outpouring of honesty that Janine shared. SO, if you loved it too, please vote and share. How cool would it be if Janine was chosen as a Voice of the Year?!

For The Times That You Want To Stop...

www.bher.co

Describes the feeling of wanting to be dead, and considering taking your own life, after your spouse or partner has died. And then provides beautiful hope from someone who has been there, that the reader that the pain does ease, that life can be good again, and that love never dies.

1

And I'm pretty much speechless.
I've never been nominated for anything like this before.
O really anything.  If you don't count college, high school, jr high or elementary school.
Because really ...... who does?

So I'm stunned.
Surprised.
Speechless.

I need to thank Michele ..... profusely.
I've never, EVER been acknowledged in such a way for my writing.
And this brings tears to my eyes.

Because, although I've always known that it was easier for me to write down my feelings, I didn't really start seriously writing until Jim died.
So be to acknowledged for something that started because of losing him, and my life as it was, makes me cry.

In the beginning, I wrote as a way to get all of those black, searing emotions out of me, and onto the computer.
And then, I noticed that my words struck a chord with others, especially widowed others.
Me feelings, which I pretty much just up-chucked onto the keyboard, very honestly ...... sometimes too honestly, let other widowed people out there know that they were not crazy, different, insane, or ......
more importantly ...... alone.

And then writing became a passion for me.  A passion to help other widowed people as best I could.
My life has grown in so many more ways than I ever thought possible after losing Jim.
Because of losing Jim.
God used something extremely horrific in the lives of my children and me ...... to do good for others.
And that never ceases to humble me, and make me cry ...... because that means that Jim's death was not in vain.  He died, though he never should've.  Part of my died with him.  But part of me stayed behind to grieve, and to write about that grief.  And to grieve with others.

I will be forever grateful that something I never really thought I could do very well, has been used to give others hope.
And to let them know they're not alone.

I'm nothing special.
On my own.
Just another woman who became a widow way too soon.

But God gave me the ability to purge my emotions by writing them down.
And help others by doing that.
Who knew?
I certainly didn't.

But I do now.
And I never want to stop.

So thank you Michele, for just thinking of me.
And thank you ...... to those of you who will take the time to vote for me.
There are so many other qualified people in the running, that I doubt my writings will get very far.
But I am grateful and humbled by just being nominated.
Truly.

And just so you know ...... I always thought that when actor/actresses said that after being nominated for some award, it was a lot of hooey.
I was wrong.
Seriously wrong.

I'm crying as I write these words:  Thank you.  Because it truly is an honor, just to be thought of, just to be nominated.

Thank you Michele.
And thank you, Peeps ...... whether you vote or not.

And Happy Thursday/Friday.
:)