Deb "Itsmee" from the Daisie Boards won the prize in the drawing this morning.  Thanks so very much to her and all of you that participated.  It will be a monthly feature, so keep that in mind and when you read something that you think would benefit someone special your lives, please pass the link on (and then tell me you did, so I can enter you).

I'm working on a craft project that I will post here, maybe as early as tomorrow, so check back in!  I'll have a template and instructions on making a wall hanging with Pabric (or other printable fabrics).  I'll be making it out of kits that are already available from Daisie Company, but will make a mini kit of the design elements available separately in case you don't already own the graphics to create it.

On another note.  I wanted to mention the incredible sense of community that has developed in the past year at The D.A.I.S.I.E. Company and especially in the Message Board Forum.  In a world where we can live next door to people for 5 years and barely know their names, it is amazing to discover the loving, caring, fun relationships that have developed between the women there.  My husband and I have talked about it quite a bit and have come to the conclusion that in many ways, it's similar to centuries ago when the women would have gathered together at the river's edge to do their laundry together.  Or perhaps more like an 18th century weekly quilting bee.  Often times there would be nothing more than a little bantering and playful conversation, but when one woman was hurting all would gather around and help bear the load emotionally and prayerfully.

We have women literally from around the world, that are gathering at the river's edge throughout the day, to share the events of their daily lives and to support one another.  I think that there's little difference in the quality of those relationships because they're "cyber" relationships… except that we don't get the joys of holding a hand, wiping a tear and giving a hug except with the thoughtfulness of our words. 

One of our members, Sue (OzSue) from Australia, recently had been missing from our midst.  It was noticed, shared, wondered about and then last night discovered that she and her husband had suffered the loss of his mother unexpectedly.  Our community worked.  We noticed.  We cared.  We reached out to make a difference.  Take a moment today to think about those who share your lives in both your day-to-day world and elsewhere.  Is anyone missing?  Is anyone suffering through a challenging time?  Does someone need a hug?  If so think about what you can do to draw close and lighten their load.  That's community in action.

Audrey Jeanne Roberts