Sunshine Award Nominees

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world. 

 

Here are the first three of my twelve Sunshine Blogger Award recipients.

I'm presenting the Sunshine Award to these inspiring bloggers because they have responded with Courage and Joy in the Face of Adversity…

(If these bloggers have not already received the Sunshine Award, it’s high time they did.  And if they have, well … they deserve another one!)

1. Cindy ~ Jewelry for a Cause

Cindy is a committed and eloquent advocate for women, especially women who have suffered from domestic violence, assault and abuse.  Never afraid of speaking her mind, Cindy is relentless in her quest to empower those who feel helpless, lost, lonely or frightened.  She is also a tireless giver of herself and of her time, her energy, and her talents (as a designer of beautiful jewelry) to those in need of love, hope, and strength.  And all the while, through ups and downs, she maintains her own balance, unfailing faith and totally refreshing and wicked sense of humor.  If I were marching into battle against the devil himself, I’d want Cindy guarding my back.

2.  Laura ~ stay tuned ...

Laura is a talented painter and jewelry designer, and she’s also a magnet, attracting love and friendship like honey attracts bees.  Diagnosed last year with stage 3 ovarian cancer and facing major surgery and a long and arduous series of chemotherapy sessions, Laura never lost her faith, never stopped beaming her infectious smile, and never yielded an inch to self pity or fear.  Instead, she made the brave decision to share with the world her personal battle.  Her goal has been to chronicle her journey in order to arm other women with the knowledge to recognize the danger signs of this "whispering" cancer, and to inspire in us the courage to face an otherwise devastating diagnosis. 

3. Kitty ~ Fine Jewelry

Amazing.  There’s just no other word to describe Kitty!  In addition to being a gifted jewelry designer, she is kindness and generosity personified.  All her life she has suffered from terrifying and often life-threatening allergic reactions, and when at last she convinced a doctor that her problems were not caused by "nerves" (a frequent misdiagnosis) she finally discovered the cause of some of her most horrific episodes.  She did not keep silent.  She took up her blog as a weapon, to warn and defend others who might be at risk from the same toxin in a widely used product.  And she took this stand in spite of the fact that by doing so she would reveal some extremely personal and private information about herself.

It is my honor to call these three amazing women my friends, and my pleasure to present them with this award.