LJ Mash letter

Okay, so - I thought I'd do something different than stream of consciousness writing or whatever meme is floating about. So here's what I'm a-gonna do...

I'm gonna tell a few folks on my friend's list what I think of them. Don't worry - I'm sure I'm going to do this more than once or twice so if I don't tag you, that doesn't mean you're home-free. I just think that we don't tell our friends what we think of them nearly often enough.

rwday, I've always admired you from the first day I met you. Your wit was sharp and spicy, your demeanor graceful and quiet (thus the delight in your wit). You are always a lady. Frequently, I am ashamed by what a behemouth [misspelling purposeful] I am when around you - I envy you the grace and that surety that you exude. I admire, immensely, your ability to achieve your dreams and the dedication you bring towards your goals. The love and devotion you have to your family is something that I wish I saw more commonly elsewhere. And there is no graceful way to say this but... you make me feel stupid. I know, that sounds bad, but your intelligence awes me and I walk away feeling lucky that you agree to be around me. Someday, I shall learn more suavity via osmosis, just by being around you enough. I hope.

bdeb - My Gods, I've known you for so long. Remember the years of you trusting me enough to lay your head in my lap so I could massage away your sinus headaches? The years of serving your Pelican and the pain that followed? What can I say, you've grown so much since you were that young and brash "Byram the M**ch"... I treasure your faith and the way you are trying to live it. It makes me heart-warm to be able to sketch the the depth of the development of it in you and know that it will only grow deeper - a connection to the Almighty is rare, in this world, anymore. I smile to think of the people who found their own faith as a result of watching you try to live yours. We don't see eye-to-eye about how we want to live "The Dream" but that doesn't challenge my love for you and I know that however much we disagree, I know you are trying to act from your love for the Society and the people in it, as I am, and that konwledge tempers whatever pain might come from our disagreements. I am enjoying watching you become a husband, a father. I love laying in my tent at events and hearing your voice rise above the ambient noise around me from the bardic entertainment you are hosting. While I never attend them (too tired or too worried about the size of the crowd and having a place to sit), they enhance my eventing nonetheless and I've often fallen asleep to the sound of your music. It gives gentle dreams.

asim - Before LJ, I knew you only as a lithe dancer, a quiet giant, a soft-spoken smiling man who I loved to run into on the rare time at events. Working with you at Pennsic, I got to see a different side but it was your presence here on LJ that gave me a better appreciation for the man I casually liked. Your teaching, your support for ME dance (and more importantly, the education and enhancement of the community) - I had no idea you were that involved. That pivotal. To my eyes, you were the point of the arrow that drove the field into academic respectfulness, albeit there were many others who were the bow. Your posts about issues in today's world remind me of the struggles and goals I may have set aside in my daily life and I cherish the ones that you so happily post about advances that have been made - just as much as I appreciate reminders about the ones yet unreached. Thank you for being the thoughtful and loving man that you are.

You folks who are reading... please don't feel that you can't join me in commenting on anyone I've written about... I'm sure that they'd appreciate your words and no blush (or frown) is going to obscure their ability to read. Join me in telling our friends what we cherish about them, here or in your own journal - don't let it wait until some other time that may never come.