Have you stressed over what to buy someone? Buying gifts or giving gifts, can be especially challenging if you have someone in your life that is “hard to buy for.” Gifts are so fun for children to open, I will admit, I loved watching the kids open their gifts on Christmas morning. Have you ever received a gift that really wasn’t something you wanted? I think the adage “it’s better to give than to receive” is frequently heard throughout the holidays. Due to the hustle and bustle of this time of year, it is easy to forget how rewarding simple gestures of kindness and giving can be.
Yesterday I received an incredibly thoughtful and unexpected gift from someone. I was at a loss for words (which is a little unusual for me at times), and I even cried. Have you ever received something so special that you are just a little overcome with emotion? This gift was so kind…I just couldn’t believe it–so here’s a little bit of the story.
Thursday afternoon I received a Facebook message from a friend saying, “Hi! So, I bought you a present because I really like what you’re doing with your blog…”
Insert my “I’m incredibly shocked face” and some major tears.
“I went ahead and registered www.walkingwithmemphis.com for you for the next two years. That way, you can close the .blogspot and give your exceptional blog a more professional look.”
Insert more tears, my hand covering my mouth, and the words “is this real life?” and “oh my word–exceptional blog?”
Indeed, this is real life. I’m very proud to say that now, dear readers, you’ll be able to find this blog with a dot com address—a new URL just for this blog will be up at www.walkingwithmemphis.com
“This is just a gift.”
This is so much more than a gift. You see, starting this blog has been a dream or at least a lingering thought for some time now. I’ve had a few ideas of wanting to write about various experiences like going back to school to finish my bachelor’s degree after 9 years off, going to grad school immediately after finishing that bachelor’s degree, but this blog about Memphis and life with my Veteran has been on my heart and mind.
So, without much thinking, planning, or research, I started using Blogger and the rest you know as “history” or you know by reading these posts…
I now have the opportunity to share this blog with so many…and I am so excited! I have a lot of ideas, I have a lot of ideas for posts tucked away, I’m working on a logo, I’m hoping to get guest bloggers, interviews, and even some videos and other websites to post that will provide information to Veterans, spouses, family members, and those who are interested in service dogs and Veterans. These big dreams will be a reality—and I still can’t believe it.
I’m so thankful for this amazing gift–it means more to me than the gift giver knows. I hope that you’ll continue on this journey with me because I believe that big things are going to happen! This URL/domain helps me continue this journey and I count that as a blessing, as well as a gift I will never forget.
What does this mean for this site where you can read these posts? Well, it is going to be merged to the new URL. So, because of the holiday (Happy New Year, btw), and looking to get some tech help for this, it may be a few days before a post is made. Once the new site is up and running, I’ll announce on social media, and of course, continue to share links to the blog posts.
Talk about blessed—we have such wonderful gifts in our life: Memphis, our kids, our family, our friends…health, a roof over our heads, so many to list…these are all so special, and now we can add this one to our list as well.
This is such an exciting time! So, to close, I’d like to thank this wonderful person.
Dear gift giver,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I promise that the content comes from my heart, and the stories, emotions, they are real. Sometimes the content comes with tears because it is a tough memory or subject, but I want to share our story. This opportunity to share our story may help someone else, it may open a door for someone. Your kindness is just awesome. With your help and guidance, I think that this blog can really make a difference. Thank you for believing in me and thank you ever so much for this most special gift.
With sincerest thanks,
Cathrine (and Sam, and Memphis)