My Baby Turns One
A year ago, this blog was birthed
Upon a happy whim.
To learn to blog was my intent;
A useful skill it seemed.
What would I write? What could I share
That others would want to read?
I loved my life, and so Voila!
Joy was this blog’s creed.
At first I fussed like one obsessed;
Each detail must be right!
The theme was tweaked a thousand times…
I worked till night turned light.
Like all first loves, things settled down
And finally found a groove.
A year of blogging up my sleeve
Left nothing more to prove.
Twas time to say goodbye , I thought.
This blog has served its use.
Yet it was hard to kill my baby;
And so many friends I’d lose.
But whence from here? I asked myself.
Another year? What is the goal?
Then with a smile, it came to me:
The purpose of my soul.
Think deeply, speak gently, love much, laugh a lot,
Work hard, give freely, be kind.
This creed that guides my life, I’ll share
With those of the same mind.
Thank you, my friends, for your support
In this blog’s early phase.
May every sunset bring you peace,
And sunrise bring joyful days.
photo credit: louis.ian.riley
46 Responses to “My Baby Turns One”
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August 29th, 2009 @ 9:29 am
Daphne,
It’s so good to be here with you today. Especially today. And reading your creed here today, it takes me back to when we first “met”, and how this alone really drew me in.
Spoken from the heart, your words have been music to my soul. Daphne, your year two will be wonderful for you. Listen to your heart…it knows…
Happy One Year!!!
August 29th, 2009 @ 10:35 am
Happy blog birthday! :) Congratulations on a year of blogging. that’s amazing and you should be very proud of all you’ve accomplished!
August 29th, 2009 @ 11:03 am
Most people quit before a month is gone, but you’ve gone above and beyond what most people would do. Here’s to another successful year of your great blog, Daphne. Cheers!
August 29th, 2009 @ 11:12 am
Beautiful! Happy blog birthday Daphne. :)
August 29th, 2009 @ 12:07 pm
Wow!!! Happy Blog Birthday. Mine is 1 1/2 years older than yours. I didn’t know that most bloggers quite in the first month.
August 29th, 2009 @ 12:22 pm
Congratulations – 1 year is an amazing milestone. Looking forward to hearing more from you.
August 29th, 2009 @ 1:16 pm
Hi Daphne,
Happy one year to your blog! Today is the one year anniversary for my blog too. :)
Cheers,
Vincent
August 29th, 2009 @ 3:28 pm
Hi Daphne – congratulations .. one year of wealth and love: thank you.
Your poem is beautiful .. lovely words and so well said – we always fuss at the beginning, and as we learn we settle a little, but still love our passion (our baby).
Your credo is wonderful – so thought provoking:
Think deeply, speak gently, love much, laugh a lot, Work hard, give freely, be kind.
This creed that guides my life, I’ll share
With those of the same mind.
You are right that creed does guide your life, and it’s lovely that you share it with us ..
Thank you! Long may your blog last giving us welcome sips of champagne life ..
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
August 29th, 2009 @ 9:48 pm
Happy birthday to your “baby”! Your poem is beautiful, and I can relate to every word. I haven’t quite made it to a year but, perhaps because I was posting so often, I feel like I’ve been on this same journey:
initial excitement
hard work
some stress and anxiety
joys and disappointments
milestones met
time to re-evaluate
a return to what started it all
This is where I am today. In fact, tomorrow I’ll publish my first post after a “spiritual sabbatical” and I’m ready to begin again… to get back to what matters most to me: helping others.
Your beautiful poem is about you and your blog, but it’s also about the rest of us, since we all travel a similar path at some point or another.
I look forward to your second year… it promises to be full of passion and heart.
Happy Anniversary!!!!
August 29th, 2009 @ 9:59 pm
@ Lance,
Trust you to be the first to comment! Just like you were the earliest ‘big’ blogger to throw your support behind my blog. As you know, I’m eternally grateful for that, and probably wouldn’t be where I am today without your friendship and encouragement. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
@ Dani,
Thanks! It is amazing… I didn’t know how long I’d last and all things considered, am glad I made it to a year and am keeping on. Your blog is growing from strength to strength and I can’t wait to see where it is when it’s a year old!
@ John,
I’m not sure what I expected out of blogging, but I guess I didn’t expect to have quite so many posts and comments and readers after a year. Thanks for your encouragement!
@ Vered,
Thank you! You’re one of my blogging models, you know :)
@ Patricia,
I didn’t know most bloggers quit after one month either, or I may have tried harder to conform ;) I have a lot to learn from you about perseverance… don’t know if I’ll make it to 2 1/2 years.
August 29th, 2009 @ 10:03 pm
@ Kim,
You know, it feels like just a while ago that I started this blog, and I’m sure it will feel the same when your blog grows to a year too.
@ Vincent,
Thank you, and congratulations too!
@ Hilary,
Your warm and effusive comment makes me feel so good for some reason. Thanks for taking the time and trouble to write. I love that credo… whenever I’m not sure what to do, I ask myself which action would be ‘love much’ or ‘speak gently’ or ‘give freely’ and invariably the way forward is so much clearer. Thank you, and may we all sip champagne often in our lives!
@ Lisis,
A spiritual sabbatical is probably something I could do too. And yes, our journeys all tend to be the same, and that’s wonderful because we understand what one another are going through. That’s part of the joy and reward of blogging, I feel – this community that we find. I’m looking forward to the new lease of life on your blog after your retreat – I’ve always found your writing to be full of passion and heart and am sure it will be more of that now. Thanks for your comment!
August 30th, 2009 @ 4:26 am
Oh my gosh, happy birthday Joyful Days! I loved this poem – it had such a great rhythm that I practically sang it in my head. Well done!
Reading your blog is one of my favorite things to do each week. I look forward to your humor, compassion, insight and positive energy, and will enjoy all you’ve left to share.
Thanks for taking the time to do what you do, and to do it so well.
August 30th, 2009 @ 4:34 am
Congrats!
I too have learned blogging ebbs and flows, but I think you will stick with it and keep giving us your soul’s best. Thank you!
xo
August 30th, 2009 @ 5:20 am
Congratulation Daphne, you’ve really done a great work in just 1yr. For me, I think this’s just the beginning. God will strenghten and enable you more. My favorite post from those I’ve red so far is “Let Go Of Expectation.” Thank you!
August 30th, 2009 @ 6:18 am
@ Megan,
Wow your generous and warm-hearted comment really made my day, especially as I’m reading it first thing in the morning. I’m glad you liked the rhythm, it’s called iambic pentameter or something like that! I call it a limerick :) You’re really sweet, Megan, to say what you did today. Thank you.
@ Jannie,
Ebbs and flows is exactly what we all go through, isn’t it, in life and blogging. Thanks for leaving some of your sunshine here today!
@ Tunde,
Thank you so much for reading my blog, and taking the time to leave this comment today. It’s readers like you that I love writing for – who may not participate actively but read the posts somewhere in the world. I am so grateful for your comment today to let me know you’re there.
August 30th, 2009 @ 9:37 am
Hi Daphne: What a beautiful poem. Happy one year anniversary and I’m glad you made the decision to keep going. :-)
August 30th, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
Oh, Daphne…
I am so glad that I stopped by today so I could congratulate you on a year earned! Wow! It must be an amazing feeling to have sculpted and re-sculpted right into a celebration!
May your goal
Reflect your soul
And keep you whole
Till the bells toll! :~)
CONGRATULATIONS! Hugs!
August 30th, 2009 @ 4:06 pm
Hi Daphne! You almost got me there, I thought… :-) Well, anyway, here’s a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to you! I’m looking forward to seeing your baby grow more beautifully each day. Continue blessing other people!
August 31st, 2009 @ 1:11 am
Hello Ms. Daphne!
Congratulations!
Been lurking around to read your stuff.
Thanks for teaching!
August 31st, 2009 @ 3:14 am
Happy Blog Birthday Daphne! Beautiful poem to celebrate it, and so aptly articulates the journey.
August 31st, 2009 @ 9:04 am
Daphne,
Happy Joy. Happy Birthday Blog! Happy You!
I’m so happy we’ve found each other and thanks for all your words of wisdom and support you’ve offered me. The blogosphere wouldn’t be the same without you. Congratulations I understand how much work you’ve put into this!
Cheers to another year.
August 31st, 2009 @ 9:30 am
@ Marelisa,
Thanks. I hope I’ll be glad I kept going a year from now!
@ Henie,
I knew you’d come up with something poetic in response! Until the bell tolls… yes that’s how long we all have. Thanks for the lovely verse!
@ Jocelyn,
Ha ha, I’d love a real-life baby too actually. Maybe someday :) Thanks for your well wishes and your support over the last year.
August 31st, 2009 @ 9:32 am
@ Nicholas,
Thanks so much for coming out of lurking to let me know you’re here. I really appreciate it!
@ Hilda,
Thank you, I’ve enjoyed getting to know you through our blogs.
@ Tess,
You’ve been such a blessing to me, and I am ever so grateful for our friendship. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself.
August 31st, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
Congratulations Daphne, I know the feeling of success. It’s great until you get the “now what?” question
August 31st, 2009 @ 12:55 pm
Congratulations and happy birthday to your baby!
August 31st, 2009 @ 4:09 pm
Happy Birthday and many more.
I think you have a lot more blog time ahead of you than behind you. You’re off to a great start.
August 31st, 2009 @ 7:26 pm
I hope you are not serious about killing off this blog. I think you are doing extremely well! There is really no need to fuss! It is perfect as it is!
Happy Birthday, Joyful Days!
September 1st, 2009 @ 10:22 am
Congratulations! “Speaking gently” is something that personal development and spirituality bloggers seem to be especially good at compared to the “flaming” you see on a lot of blogs.
September 1st, 2009 @ 2:58 pm
Hi Daphne,
Congratulations and happy birthday to your blog! :-)
I am so glad you started this blog, so that I have the chance to meet you. I look forward to many more years of reading your blog.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
September 1st, 2009 @ 4:13 pm
Daphne, Happy Blog Birthday. It is not so easy to blog more than one year.
“Work hard” as you said in the tagline. :)
September 1st, 2009 @ 5:22 pm
@ Miguel,
The “now what?” question indeed! It’s also a nice question, for me at least. Gives me a chance to think and re-group, and remind myself of the WHY. Thanks for asking me this question again!
@ Carla,
Thank you so much for your well wishes.
@ JD,
I like your prophecy, thanks!
@ Evelyn,
Aw, you’re so angelic :) Thanks very much, my friend!
September 1st, 2009 @ 5:23 pm
@ Paul,
I’ve been part of that flaming on other forums, but not blogs. Yes, a few months into blogging I realised I’d chosen a particularly friendly and supportive niche, and have been grateful ever since.
@ Giovanna,
Thank you, and it’s been enriching for me to meet you too!
@ Arswino,
Good application of my creed, ha ha! Work hard indeed… :)
September 2nd, 2009 @ 1:31 am
Hi Daphne – I’ve been off line over the bank holiday w/end we just had here in the UK, but am so relieved I logged on to say a BIG WELL DONE on your Joyful Days’ first birthday! I can’t believe where the time has gone and how much your blog has gone from strength to strength! It’s been lovely to be an avid reader from the start, and I’m so pleased that Joyful Days will now evolve into sharing thoughts around the purpose of your soul … makes total sense and I look forward to upcoming posts.
Loved your poem too …… all the best for now
Tamsin/nudgeme
September 3rd, 2009 @ 5:46 am
This is a quality blog, Daph, no question about it for me. Happy birthday.
September 3rd, 2009 @ 7:11 am
@ Tamsin,
Yes you were one of my earliest supporters and I can’t tell you how much that meant to me. Even better, I appreciate finding a friend in you, and that’s one of the best rewards I’ve had from blogging and why I find it so difficult to give up! Thank you so very much.
@ Chris,
Thank you. I read your comment first thing this morning and it makes my day.
September 3rd, 2009 @ 2:25 pm
” Think deeply, speak gently, love much, laugh a lot, work hard, give freely, be kind. ”
These are truly noble creeds, it will push you to many more years. Congratulations.
September 4th, 2009 @ 12:49 am
Daphne — Happy birthday to your blog and may it have many, many more:~)
Your poem was special. I loved these words:
But whence from here? I asked myself.
Another year? What is the goal?
Then with a smile, it came to me:
The purpose of my soul.
I especially liked “the purpose of my soul.” To me, that’s what blogging should be about…sharing the voice of your soul:~)
September 4th, 2009 @ 6:20 am
One year! The time has flown! Congratulations Daphne!
September 4th, 2009 @ 6:08 pm
Hi Daphne .. just had to come by again .. and remind myself of your credo at the top .. I think we should all read those words first thing in the morning to set us up for the day ..
- think deeply
- speak gently
- love much
- laugh a lot
- Work hard
- give freely
- be kind
They are such lovely words and will all give value to everyone where-ever we go ..
Thanks .. and I look forward to the next year and your so down to earth spiritual advice ..
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Letters
September 4th, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
@ Walter,
Welcome, and thank you for your encouraging comment.
@ Sara,
Thanks for your special comment. Yes, blogging, and living in general, would be so authentic if we were just true to our soul and lived out its purpose :)
@ Middle Way,
Flown indeed! I can’t believe it myself.
@ Hilary,
You know, I often visit my own blog now just to look at the credo in the header. A little pathetic to be inspired by one’s own blog heh, but I don’t care! Thanks for being so sweet.
September 4th, 2009 @ 7:03 pm
Hi Daphne,
Happy happy birthday to your sweet baby. It is indeed a very special journey Daphne. My Blog is only 3 months old…but i hope when i get to a year i have atleast half of what you have created here. The love on this blog is just overwhelming. I am glad i could be a part of this celebration. Keep blogging and feeding us with your love..Hoping to see your baby grow and grow in the future.
September 5th, 2009 @ 7:32 am
Congratulations Daphne and beautiful poem. You’ve put in a lot of work and I can see it’s really paying off for you. Keep it up and I look forward to seeing what’s in store for this next year!
September 7th, 2009 @ 8:43 am
@ Zeenat,
Your comment was so sweet. For 3 months your blog is doing remarkably well – I don’t think my blog was known much at all at 3 months, and I see that yours is rather popular :) You’ll be amazed where you can be in one year – whether you measure your success by statistics or by the joy it brings you.
@ Broderick,
Hey, I almost didn’t recognise the name. Thanks for dropping by and for the well wishes. I’ll see you around!
September 15th, 2009 @ 1:06 am
Daphne, many happy congratulations to you! Many thanks, too, for deciding to stay; you provide SO much…! I just love how you phrased this: “…the purpose of my soul.” It’s an eloquent reminder to each of us, especially when we feel entrenched in the valleys, that speaking from our hearts is a beautiful gift we offer to others. Your heart’s voice is especially beautiful!
September 21st, 2009 @ 2:38 am
Daphne, happy birthday to your baby!
It has been wonderful seeing you at birth, spread your wings and fly :-). This is a beautiful blog and I envy your ability to help and inspire so many people through it.
The road is long ahead, keep going and continue to enjoy writing and sharing.
Bon anniversaire once again.
September 22nd, 2009 @ 11:18 am
Beau,
Merci beaucoup for your well wishes! You’re one of the few readers who knew me before I started this blog, and I’m glad we’re still in contact. I learnt a lot from your blog – I still don’t have the courage to share so much of myself and my life as you do. Thanks for being a positive example. And thanks so much for your kind words.