235/365: "Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

2 more pictures in notes above!

I've been doing a lot of thinking about gratitude lately. I have so much to be thankful for, and today I want to say THANK YOU, delivered with a warm hug to each and every one of you. I want you all to know how much it means to me that you visit and leave comments and favorites. But most of all, I want you to know how thankful I am for your friendship, and for the camaraderie we share here at ipernity. You have all made me feel welcome here in my new home. I have made so many new and wonderful friends. I am so grateful for those of you who have joined me here from Flickr, and for those of you who have made a special effort to give ipernity another try, and have found that you just needed to put in a bit more effort to discover how special ipernity really is.

Thank you all for making me feel that I have some talent as a photographer and writer, and thank you for sharing your feelings with me. I am grateful for the opportunity to see the world through your eyes, and for the virtual adventures I go on around the world through your wonderful photography. Because of every one of you, I am a better photographer, and a better person too. I learn so much from what I read about your pictures and from the stories and articles that you write. The time I spend visiting your photo streams and reading the comments that you leave for me fill me with so many emotions--joy, happiness, laughter (and often howling cackles of mirth), fascination, wonder, and sometimes sorrow and regret. It's all important though, and I am very thankful that I am allowed to know you a little bit more every day.

So...thank you everyone!! I am so happy here and I am so grateful to be surrounded by such a fabulous community and ever-growing group of friends. You mean the world to me. *big hugs to all of you*

Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. Wikipedia: Henry Ward Beecher

Explored on August 24, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.