Blogging4Books...
Seems like this little blog idea may go down the tubes if there aren't many more participants...so, since I think books are important and one can never have too many...thought I would join in this time...
My essay:
I hate what happened on 9-11. It just totally screwed up my world...and it made simple things that I enjoyed either disappear or harder to try and do.
The best example I have was that at Christmas we would get a shoebox together of stuff a soldier might need: toothpaste, new toothbrush, socks, candy, book of stamps, stationary, a book to read, - you know the kind of stuff. We would include a little note and Christmas card and let them know how much we appreciated them and what they were doing to keep us safe. We would just have such fun at the store shopping for these little items and it never cost a lot of money - usually under $25.00. Then it was home and time to organize the box, wrap it up and address it to "Any Male or Female Soldier" (depending on what type stuff we got) and off to the Post Office we would go. There used to be a list of APOs that one could send these boxes to and the Post Office always had them available.
It didn't matter that we didn't know the person to whom we were sending the package. It was just a way to say "thank you". I can't tell you how many notes we got back and even a couple of phone calls from some soldier on Christmas day to say thank you and to let us know they enjoyed the package and were sharing with their friends...or we'd hear that that was the only package they got because they had no family. (Funny, we never included our phone number - but somehow those dear soldiers found it.)
The Christmas after 9-11, we gathered all our stuff as usual - never thinking there would be a problem...and when we arrived at the post office we were told they wouldn't take it because it had to have a "person's name on it" and we had to know that person. Well, we didn't know anyone personally...It just took all the joy out of what had become a tradition for us...all because they were afraid that some package might contain something that would harm someone...
Such a sad state of affairs...our trust in each other is gone...
posted by Sara @ 9:43 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
It's always sad to see how the world has changed since we were kids. Once, it was no big deal to let kids run around the neighborhood playing with each other. Now, it's considered insanely dangerous.
As to "participants" in the blog - blogging is not a two-way medium. Yes, it's nice when you get a comment now and then. But you should blog because you would say these things whether you know for certain anyone is listening or not. That's the way I approach it.
I subscribe to your blog - I found it because I'm another of the Team NH knitters - and I read every post you make. But I'm not the type to comment just to say "nice knitting" or "me too". The same is likely true of most of your readers.
You should always expect that only a tiny fraction of your readers will ever comment. So getting feedback, while nice because it lets you know someone is reading, should never be a criteria for continuing.
Keep up the blogging - and the knitting!
Ditto to what Jenny said. I also subscribe to your blog, and have a link from my site to you as well. You blog because you want/need to. I do it so I can have a record of my fiber progress. And in that proicess, it's also sharing it with other folks. There are a lot of "watchers" out there, and fewer "doers". I like my blog, it's a nice place to visit. lol And you for yours as well. It's what you put into it. That's what you get out of it. No one can give it to you. (Wow, too deep for a Tuesday.) I mean, I can see that an average of 350 people a day come skulking through my place, and the same 10-12 of my "biddies" comment. (YOU are one of those!)
So, don't dispair. BLOG ON!
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