For a Dear Friend

Two years and two months ago, I received an email from Miss Laurie, requesting I do a review of the Anne movies on my blog to link to for the Period Drama Film Tournament that was about to go on.  I was rather thrilled and flattered.  Miss Laurie was the authoress of Old-Fashioned Charm, the largest blog I frequented!  At the time I had less than twenty followers, and I guess I felt a little like Mr. Collins being patronized by Lady Catherine de Bourgh. ;)  Although that's a bad comparison, considering Miss Laurie is nothing like Lady Catherine, and one must hope that I am nothing like Mr. Collins. :P  But nevertheless, I felt quite gratified.

Miss Laurie had been one of the first people to follow my blog, but up to that point I hadn't really heard anything from her personally.  After that we continued to keep in contact about the review, and a month or two later I was asking her for advice about the content of a certain period drama.  From there we went to discuss other period dramas, and in the autumn I remember frequent discussion about what the cast for Mansfield Park should be if a new movie was made. 

By this time we were learning about each other more personally and I was experiencing my first-ever 'real' friendship with someone I met through blogging.  It was delightful!  I'm happy to still call Miss Laurie my friend today, and that we have kept in contact all this time.  She's been there for me during a lot of Life Stuff, always ready to offer comfort, congratulations, and prayers.  The latter has really meant a lot to me, too; it's so lovely that whatever's going on, I can send her a quick email and know she'll be thinking & praying for me, even when there's a lot of stuff going on with her, too.  There have been times when she's been rather like a big sister to me and I'm very thankful for it.

Miss Laurie is one of the sweetest people I know.  I have so often been touched by her kind attentions, and I hope that today, on her birthday, she'll get plenty from everyone else. :)

Love you, Ladybird!  To risk sounding cheesy and unoriginal... thanks for being you. :)

~Melody