Previously on USER'S CHAIN...
(I love the way that @jedau introduced the initiative and its recipients, so I'm using it with some minor changes.)
.... @tincho created an initiative to share blessings and appreciation for inspiring individuals on Steemit, choosing @danilamarilu as the first recipient. She then chose community wild man @papa-pepper as the next link of the growing chain. The benevolent head of the Pepper clan then passed the baton to the multi-talented @verbal-d. The astonishing alchemist of prose and poetry then decided to bestow upon @jedau the rightful honor of being the next in line. Then this incredible young man who has equal parts passion and compassion, who writes so beautifully you have to wonder if his muse is an Angel, chose me as the fifth link to this chain.
Now, here we are.
Of course I will start this Pay-It-Forward style post of gratitude and love with a tremendous thanks to my friend and brother from another mother, @jedau.
How can I express what you mean to me Jed? You spoke of my comments on your posts, yet I would say that you are the comment master, and I your lowly apprentice in the craft of showing support and encouragement with words. I will be forever grateful to the lovely @ezzy for inspiring your faithful visits to his book where I first stumbled upon your thoughtful praise.
My husband probably said it best when he first read your comments to me on The Playground Series; "I hope this guy continues to enjoy your stories, his comments are adding volumes of worth to your work. In fact his comments alone would be enough to attract my interest in your story if I were previously unfamiliar with it."
Jed, while I may have always been an inherently encouraging individual, it is you who made me aspire to be the avid and thoughtful commenter that I am today.
So for those of you who are not familiar with @jedau, you are truly missing out. In addition to being a true friend he is also an amazing writer. His book A Day In The Clouds-Intro deserves a spot on best-selling lists across the globe. Reading it as well as knowing him will enrich your life!
I love you Jed!
And now let me proudly introduce to you the sixth link to this inspirational chain:
The extremely talented
Super enlightened
Just One Example of his Genius
Man of untold gifts
Learn to Play the Piano
@therealpaul !!
When I first began the steemit journey, I had no idea what to expect. In fact, I was clueless to the point of embarrassing. Instead of an introductory post, the first thing that I put up was Episode One of my Playground Series. I didn't know whether anyone would read it, and if they did, what kind of response it would elicit.
From the very first moment it was Paul who made my experience here one of profound joy. Not only did he read and like my story, he told me in his quietly wise way, that I was someone who could See.
After reading several of his divinely inspired articles, the fact that he considered me to be an individual on his level made me feel extraordinarily special. He gave me the confidence to not only continue my writing venture, but to also get out into the steemit world and express myself- to proudly be myself.
It wasn't long before I truly understood what it meant to resonate with an individual that I had never met. To feel the spirit of a being from across this cyberspace as keenly as I would someone sitting right beside me. My friendship with Paul is one that defies time and space, as it feels as though we've known one another for lifetimes rather than just a few months. And I have steemit to thank for this.
steemit appears to be a gathering place for those of us who can see beyond the ordinary (pale). Truth seekers, artists, musicians, inventors, writers, creators of all kinds come here and find the home they have searched for all of their lives.
I love this platform, it's a magical place, made perfect by the amazing people who populate it. I have connected with people I am proud to call friend from all over the globe, that I may never have known, and look forward to getting to know more and more of you as we continue this journey together.
Paul, you were the first friend I made here and I am forever grateful to you for everything you have done for me. Not the least of which was creating the book cover for my novel and first book in a series Reborn
And as I've told you before, I am retaining your services as Illustrator for my books, for life--which will be the duration of our incredible friendship. I love you Paul, and I am so glad you are beside me on this journey. You and I will steem on together for as long as the steemit ship continues to sail!
Tag, you're it! Now go find that next link!
Links in the user chain so far:
@tincho
@danilamarilu
@papa-pepper
@verbal-d
@jedau
@dreemit
@therealpaul
Generously created for me by @son-of-satire