A Beautiful Year

Today is 24 C's one year anniversary (this completely amazes me)...and from the bottom of my heart I want to thank each and every one of you for visiting, leaving comments, following, and mostly...for offering your friendships in such genuine, warm, caring, and thoughtful ways. You have all *beautifully mattered* to me this past year, and have blessed me to no end...I'm so grateful.
This song is a gift to you...a thank you for all the beauty and inspiration that you and your blogs have given to me, and also, for allowing me to share what I believe to be beautiful with you.

This song was written by Sara Groves when she was questioning her artistry and her love of all things beautiful, wondering if it truly mattered or if it was all just a shallow waste of time. Then she learned of Vedran Smailovic, a cellist who after the the siege of Sarajevo would bring his cello out amongst the rubble of what once was a beautiful city park, sit near a fountain that had somehow remained unscathed....and he would play. The beauty of his music it turned out mattered greatly...it broke through the despair and destruction that lay all around him and conquered it in it's own very powerful, lovely, and meaningful way.

Beauty does matter...it can feed the soul, bring pure joy and delight, offer comfort, and wonderfully connect people in a very strong and understanding way who otherwise may never have met. The beauty of your blogs and what you choose to share does matter...greatly...please always remember that, they and you...are a beautiful gift.

One of my most popular posts this past year happened to be the one where I showcased my mother Gitzi's art. I had fallen in love with this floral series of hers and it seems that many of you did too given the amount of comments it received. So as another way to say thank you, I've made up two sets of note cards depicting these images and would love to give them away to two of you.

Please just leave a comment...two if you're a follower, by Wednesday the 23rd. I'll be randomly picking the winners (using that number generator thing - for the first time) and announce who they are on Friday the 25th.

You all meant a great deal to me...thank you so much for a very beautiful and very special year.
xo Jessica