Honored doesn't even begin to cut it for how I feel to have had one of my posts selected as an honoree for the BlogHer 2012 Voices of the Year! A HUGE thanks to several kind readers who nominated posts from An Inch of Gray.
The one that was selected, Wednesday "Wramblings" and Walmart, in which I write about how even the mundane task of going to the store can send a bereaved mom into a tailspin, is honored in the "Heart" category. I'm excited and grateful to have that post "out there" in another venue, and I look forward to reading ALL of the amazing posts that were selected. These funny, hard, topical stories and snapshots of life should keep me busy for quite a while!
Check them all out here.
Congrats! Its very well deserved!
ReplyDeleteAnna - I loved that post. you certainly have a gift with words (even in your grief).
ReplyDeletefantastic news that have been recognised
cheers
Fiona
I'm so happy for you. You deserve it. Your blog is making a HUGE difference in this world. Congratulations!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI loved that post as well. I cant buy baby shower gifts so I can't imagine what you must go through on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking about you a lot lately. Sending you warm thoughts.
Well if I had know about it I would certainly have picked you. Very wise friends who nominated you.
ReplyDeleteYou have been such an inspiration to me since I meet you. I know that you deserve the honor.
Congratulations, Anna. Like many others have said, very well deserved!
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, with the way you write your blogs and express such deep, raw emotion, I think writing a book should be in your future!
Much love and daily prayers,
~Renee
I cannot imagine a more fitting writer or a better post.....I know you would give anything never to have had the experience that led to the writing of it. But many are so thankful that you found the wherewithal somehow to do it. And that you continue to do it.
ReplyDeleteA truly remarkable girl, that is what you are.
I hope this will be incentive for you to GO to BlogHer (Jill and I have our fingers crossed...)
ReplyDeleteEither way - you know I'm always so proud of you. And honored to be your friend.
Congrats! That post is so poignant....I can see how it got chosen.
ReplyDeleteI somehow missed this post. I'm glad you brought it to my attention. Wow. Jack is incredibly handsome. The neat handwriting is a reflection of who Jack was. This should win...hands down.
ReplyDeleteThis was the post (that someone had linked to) that brought me here. Love your Jack stories and "winks from God" and think of him often.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Anna!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that this post will lead more people to your blog. Your words are challenging, healing, amazing. Love you.
ReplyDeleteAny post you've written about Jack could have been chosen, but yes, that was particularly wonderful.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations.
Congratulations Anna!! You have an amazing voice for so many hurting people. I know also you would change it all if you could!
ReplyDeleteMuch love,
Joyce
Oh Anna, You totally deserve this! Not because of the grief and loss you've endured in the last 9 months, but because your blog is terrific; a wonderful honest representation of being a GREAT mother. Always praying for you and your family and hoping each day brings you another tangible way to see Jack and God.
ReplyDeleteA well deserved honor. I reread the nominated post and once again feel so many emotions -- including awe for how you are able to express such complicated feelings so beautifully. Congratulations, Anna!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Anna! Well deserved :)
ReplyDeleteI remember. I forget.
ReplyDeleteYou are a beautiful writer. Well earned.
I am very proud of you but not at all surprised. You write from your heart with such honesty and it really touches your readers. Love you.
ReplyDeleteWow, I thought I had read them all (the posts since Jack's death) but I somehow missed this one. I remember reading Elizabeth describing her first trip to the grocery store after her son's passing, and it just tore me up to imagine. Wonderful, insightful, honest post...once again! Congratulations and well deserved, Anna.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Anna!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! It is wonderful that your writing is going to be read by more people now. I have recommended your blog to so many people. You have a gift for putting into words what so many of us feel, and stumble to express.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
ReplyDeleteYou deserve it.
Congratulations, such great news. Off to read your post and probably cry.
ReplyDeleteI remember this post so much my legs are covered in chills even without clicking the link. Yay, Anna for the BlogHer action!! If you want to go to NY but just roam the streets taking pics while visiting visiting French cafees and cupcake shops during conferences, that's fun too. :)
ReplyDeleteI remember that entry. It was wonderfully written... I could feel my heart breaking with yours. You wrote it just after my daughters 2nd hospitalization... while she was in a day program. I remember being in a daze. Wondering how it was possible that the world was still turning. With all the things that changed, it really did seem enough to even stop the Earth on its axis.
ReplyDeleteI think it was soon after that I found her artwork that said, "You is kind, you is smart, you is important".... and it gave me just a little hint of understanding that very last line.
I love you, Anna. Thank you for sharing something so painful and personal in a way that makes the world a better place. You are amazing.
Your whole blog is such a gift- before and after Jack's accident. This post, like so many, touches me deeply. The deliberate handwriting...how everything, everywhere is a reminder. Your voice is such a gift to me, to this world. Congratulations. Jack is very much in my heart.
ReplyDeleteI'm very very glad you won. That's all I can say. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou deserve this honor!!You should know there is a mother of 3 in a small town in CT that thinks about your sweet Jack all the time. The Walmart post was so special, as are you. xo
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! That's the perfect category since you share your heart so well! xo
ReplyDeleteJen G.
I couldn't put it any better than Meredith did. Your voice is a gift to this world. I've come to recognize and enjoy the voices of fellow commenters, as well, not just Meredith's, but all the rest.
ReplyDeleteAnna...
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with us all... Each letter, each word you write brings us closer to your Jack, always.
Know that you, Tim, and Margaret continue to be in my prayers...
Sending love and hugs from the other side of town...
So incredibly awesome, Anna. xoxxo.
ReplyDeleteSo thilled to be Voices of the Year together. And hoping this means you'll be coming to NYC for BlogHer this summer. I missed seeing you at Listen to Your Mother DC, as our LTYM-NYC was unfortunately the exact same day & time. So I have some long overdue hugs I'd like a chance to deliver in person.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I was stunned to be selected for a post of mine and was thrilled when I saw your name on the list! Having 'met' your blog via Jill & Christy, can only hope to meet you IRL this summer....
ReplyDeleteVery happy for you!
Congratulations, you!! So well-deserved.
ReplyDeleteYou have created a place for loss that is hallowed ground.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. It is so very deserving.
Just stopping by to say I'm thinking of you and praying for peace.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the "wramblings" post I sobbed for hours. Your pain made my soul ache and I wince every time I think of your words that day. I was so deeply moved that I cannot bring myself to read it again.
ReplyDeleteI read every post and have revisited many, but this post was so raw, so vulnerable, so real.
Surely the world can only be helped by the strength and dignity of Jack's Messenger?
Your words transcend all.
You are a true leader,
The universe is waiting...
Awesome!
ReplyDeleteThinking of your family as the school year comes to an end. I hope this summer brings peace and new memories to all.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to meet you and YES, the world needs to hear you and read you b/c you are TRUE LIFE.
ReplyDeletexo
"Mabrouk" it means Congratulations, in Arabic :)
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I write, introducing myself would take a long time, maybe in an e-mail, I just wanted to ask you for a favor, yes a weird 1st comment from a total stranger but I couldn't find your e-mail address on the blog, so please, if you have time, contact me:
rihamjarjour@gmail.com
I'm not surprised. I love how you write. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteAnna,
ReplyDeletePlease write a book!!! Even if it just compiling your blog posts you would need to do NO more! There are books on grief, yes there are. The thing is that alot of them come off as very clinical and the thing about grief is that is makes you feel very isolated and alone. Your writing draws people in and makes them feel like they are right there with you or you are right there with them. You articulate things in such a way that people can relate. I know you never would have wished for this and if ANY of us could change it for you we would in a SECOND! But I beleive God wants to birth a ministry in you that will reach world and bring healing to bereaved parents and you and your family as well. You have been given a gift and I beleive an annointing rests on you to minister to the grieving. You have ministered to me and brought healing to my heart as bereaved mom myself.
Much Love to you, Tim, Margaret and your sweet Jack!
Geez, REALLY, I swear, I really do know how to spell BELIEVE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThinking of you often...
ReplyDeleteLisa G. in CT
Just checking back to let you know I'm thinking of you and praying for you and your family. I saw a display of Legos at the drugstore today and thought of you; it wasn't a big or fancy display, but it just goes to show how Jack has become woven into my everyday thoughts.
ReplyDelete(hugs)
I'm so glad for this, Anna.
ReplyDeleteThinking of you at the start of summer. Hope you and your family have happy times and make happy memories and that you get lots of winks from Jack as you enjoy this time of year.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!! You're a wonderful writer and deserve this recognition.
ReplyDeleteWhat a mixed blessing. A beautifully and tear inducing post about such a terrible tragedy in your life.
ReplyDeleteIt's so personal and heart-felt and incredibly difficult to read as a mother of a 11 and 14 year old. Only in the deepest reaches of a nightmare could I imagine what you are going through ...
Congratulations doesn't seem like the right expression to say here ...
So how about I'm happy that you can experience some joy in your life?
Linda
I love that post. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, there shall be tears. And laughs, of course, because you're you, but reading your now VOTY winner post, I know what hearing it live is going to do to me. Mental note: no mascara.
ReplyDeleteA big HUGE congratulations to you on being selected for Voices of the Year! That post was the first post I read of yours and I remember where I was when I read it and I have never been the same since. I have been vacillating on going to BlogHer this year, but now that I know you might be there, I am more likely to go! Would love to meet you in person!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your honor!`
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Anna, I'm really looking forward to meeting you in August. I have a hug with your name on it.
ReplyDeletexo