Inspiration, pink, giveaways... What a beautiful weekend!

Today is an especially beautiful day, dear friends...

First and foremost, it is, of course, Pink Saturday. But this isn't just any Pink Saturday, but a special one, dedicated to inspiration and gratitude. It also happens to be my birthday and my 200th post. And, I'm holding a giveaway... but more on that later.

Thanks to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound, Pink Saturday is joining with Kelee at The Katillac Shack for A Miracle Party blog event. The party is being held to celebrate Colette Gauthier's recovery from cancer ~ which was aided last year by bloggers, Kelee and Guideposts Magazine, who refused to let her fight cancer in a soulless room, devoid of beauty. Please visit The Katillac Shack to see the reveal ~ which is being featured in the September issue of Guideposts Magazine ~ and to register for some wonderful giveaways.

You can also contribute to future makeovers simply by leaving a comment at The Katillac Shack, Country Wings in Phoenix, Pink Saturday and Spiritual Sundays. Each comment left at each site earns a $1 donation toward another makeover project. It's an easy way to spread a little beauty to people who really need it.

One of the giveaways at The Katillac Shack is for this lovely painting.

As part of the Miracle Party blog event, we were asked to share something inspiring, something about celebrating life's gifts, be they little or big. So here's mine: When I started this blog a little over a year ago, I was searching for a creative outlet. My career had taken a turn from doing the stuff I really loved ~ writing and editing ~ to more administrative type work. And while I have no complaints because I am truly, truly grateful to be employed in the current economy, I was longing to connect with people again. To write something more than just basic e-mails.

As a journalist, I wrote for thousands of people every day for years. As an editor, I helped shape the next day's paper. Both were roles I relished. I loved getting those calls, e-mails, letters from the community ~ the nice ones and the not so nice ones ~ because either way you knew you had connected, you had broadened someone's knowledge, someone's world. On the really good days, I was able to help someone with the words I wrote. Then, I found myself in a job where the words didn't matter so much anymore and creativity wasn't exactly encouraged. After a couple years of that, I found that I dreaded getting out of bed in the morning, knowing there was nothing interesting awaiting me.

Then, one day at work, I was cruising around the internet (shhh ~ don't tell) and I somehow stumbled onto a blog, The Comforts of Home. And I was instantly in love. I had never really paid much attention to blogs previously, but suddenly, I felt like I had discovered fire. I was so inspired by this newfound world of expression and creativity, I took the plunge and started my own blog, which you kindred spirits are now reading. I decided I would focus on sharing my love of beauty, partly because I was hoping to inspire people to add more beauty to their lives and partly because I needed a constant reminder to focus on the good, the beautiful, instead of what was lacking in part of my life. At first I worried no one would bother to visit or find me among the millions, but sure enough, you did. And you kept coming, which inspired me to write and share more about living beautifully. And now, I belong to this wonderful little creative world waiting for me to add something more to it. A world that has given me not only this blog and my lovely readers, but a chance to write for a new e-magazine, Belle Inspiration. Because all of you took time out of your week to visit and follow my blog and leave a comment (and still do), you lifted me and gave me back something precious that I had misplaced for awhile. So, thank you, all of you.

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."

~Albert Schweitzer

And, since this is my 200th post (yay!) and today is my birthday, I thought I would celebrate and say thank you with a little giveaway ~ a sampler pack from Sweet Cheeks Bakery. Yum. The winner gets to choose three different types of cookies; there are 42 cookies in a sampler pack, so you'll get a little more than a dozen of each. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower and leave a comment on this post. I'll leave the giveaway open through the end of the month. (I'll contact the winner with a list to choose from. If you don't have a blog, please leave your e-mail in your comment.) Good luck to all, and don't forget to stop by The Katillac Shack and register for those giveaways, too.

I'm off to celebrate my birthday. Wishing all of you a sweet weekend, full of inspiration and gratitude...