There’s a sweet satisfaction in being recognized by your peers for something you love to do.

I’ve been honored recently with nominations for two awards, The Inspiring Blog Award and The Best Moments Award.  Then at the end of 2012 I was nominated by two readers for the Blog of the Year Award.

I’m always a bit shy about accepting these awards, and sometimes delay the moment to show my deep appreciation for those who nominated me—but not too long, I hope.

Each award usually comes with its own requirements which I will try to fulfill, though perhaps in abbreviated form.

Many of my favorite blogs I’ve already nominated for other awards, so I do not include them here.  The ones below are some of the most exciting and interesting blogs I’ve discovered lately.

The Inspiring Blog Award

What a pleasure it is to accept this award from Katie Checkley.  Her blog The Intrinsic Writer on the art of writing is such an inspiration to me. I always look forward to her “Old School Sunday” posts where she revisits some time-honored books and authors, like King Lear and the poetry of William Carlos Williams, reminding us why they stood the test of time, and how they still speak to us today.

Here’s the rules for this award:

1. Display award image on your blog page
2. Link back to the person who nominated you
3. State what inspires you
4. Nominate 5 others for this award
5. Notify said bloggers

What inspires me? 

The natural world inspires me, especially the ocean and the creatures that inhabit it, the rolling hills of California with its groves of gnarled oak trees, the deep stillness of the redwood forests, and the way the night sky wraps around all of it and points toward worlds beyond our grasp.

Exploring the way science and spirituality overlap and interconnect inspires me.  The creativity of the human mind with all its art and music and literature inspires me.  Writing inspires me, brings me home to myself and lifts me out of myself at the same time.

Small, fragile, fleeting things inspire me—mist and fog, dewdrops on spider webs, budding roses and those whose petals are ready to fall, the sound of wind blowing through the birches, sunlight slanting through trees, a baby’s sigh and the feel of its petal soft sole, the smell of lavender and rosemary, my children’s smiles,  my husband’s strong hands and gentle eyes, the cry of eagles circling overhead, the sound of bees among the flowerbeds, a glimpse deer in the meadow, and the spout of a whale at sea.

So many things inspire me, it would be easier to say what doesn’t:  greed, injustice, cruelty, hate, indifference, neglect, prejudice and intolerance, the exploitation of people or the environment. People who work to create a better, safer, saner, more compassionate and just world inspire me.

What inspires me most is this thing some call Tao, Buddha, Zen, God, Christ, a Higher Power, Divine Mind, Infinite Love, the Un-nameable, the Ungraspable, the Not-I,  the All-in-all.  That which pervades and embraces and defines everything in the universe and all that lies beyond.

My Nominees for Inspiring Blog Award

Silver Poetry – All that glitters is not gold – Poetry and Artwork

Identity. Smeared Words. Mouthed Art – Photography and poetry

Women, Words and Wisdom – Celebrates and features the writing of extraordinary women

Word by Word – Books, journeys, and places that inspire

Africa Far and Wide – A visual journey into the life of Africa

Brenda Moquez – Passionate Pursuits – Stories about life and writing

The Dad Poet – On fatherhood, poetry, nature and joy

Women Making Strides – Empowering women to be leaders

The Best Moments Award

Awarding the people who live in the moment,
The noble who write and capture the best in life,
The bold who reminded us what really mattered –
Savoring the experience of quality time.

This award comes from the Moments Matter website, that features the new, interesting articles blog posts about the in life. The RULES for this award can be found here. It includes an acceptance speech, so here goes:

Acceptance Speech

I accept this award on behalf of all the things which inspire me to live in the moment (see list above), and all the bloggers who remind me each day to live more deeply and appreciate the finer things of life.  I also accept it on behalf of the nominees for this award, listed below, whose art and images and words have become some of the best moments of my day, each day I receive them.

My nominees for the Best Moments Award:

Garyschollmeier – A life in photos

Debbie Yare – Fine artist and photographer specialising in contemporary landscapes

Marice Sapiro – Fine artist capturing the ethereal, spiritual, magical tones, light and mood of nature

Ethereal Streaming – A flowing journey of the dreaming life

Another Lovely Day – Capturing moments that bring peace, joy, beauty, fun, thoughtfulness, and inspiration

Photo Avant-Garde – Features selected photographers

Serenity Spell – Exploring Florida’s threatened ecosystems through photography

Coast 72s Blog – Photos and reflections on life

Blogger of the Year 2012 Award

The lovely Sandy at Another Lovely Day and Susan at Women Making Strides both nominated me for this award.

Sandy’s blog gives us an intimate look at one amazing woman’s life, her hopes and fears, her songs and poems, her photography and meditations on life.  I always come away from her posts feeling like I was hugged, like I had shared time with someone real and special.

Susan’s blog empowers women to be leaders in our own lives, and encourages readers to support each other by sharing their views in the comments.  The powerful posts start off with inspiring quotations from celebrated women.

I will accept this award with pride and pleasure, but I will not nominate anyone for this award at this time, since 2012 is past and it’s too soon to pass out 2013 Blog of the Year awards.

Please take the time to visit some of the amazing blogs in this post.  You won’t be sorry you did.