Got (In)courage(ment)?

I received my first nasty Anonymous comment here on my blog the other night.

"Anonymous" didn't agree with my conservative views. That's okay with me, honest! I read bunches of blogs each day, and I don't always agree with the writers' points of view. I'd be really bored if everyone agreed with me.

What I don't do is respond with name calling.

Yes, I know I'm fat. Yes, I know I'm white. Do you really need to point that out? Really? My weight is something I'm working on, and I can't help the pale. I think I have some albino lineage somewhere in my family tree.

Although "Anonymous" was correct in her (I know it must have been a "her" because a man would never sink to this) assessment that I am indeed a "fat white lady," it still stung.

No one likes to read their deepest criticism of themselves in print. On their computer screens. Where hundreds of other people will read it.

Not too many years ago, a comment like that would have pushed me into a familiar dark place. A place where a scoop of ice cream would mean running around the block a few times, doing stairs once home, and then hundreds of sit ups until feeling satisfactorily thin again and on the verge of collapse.

The words hurt, yes.

But instead of sinking into that murky hole, I chatted up a few blogging friends. Not only had they felt the sting of a nasty comment or two, but they knew just how to deal with it.

I used my delete button.

I deleted the comment, and I deleted my angry response to Anonymous.

I don't want my blog to be a spot where people stir the pot. I want readers to come here for a smile.

I imagine that's what the girls over at (In)courage had in mind when they created this simply inspiring new site. The tagline for the site is "Take Hope to Heart." It looks like a place for women to stop by for a few minutes in their busy day and find encouragement and inspiration.

So, what encourages me?

The other night, it was knowing that for every "Anonymous" out there, I have twice as many Friends in the bloggy world. Maybe they don't always see eye to eye with me (I know not everyone is as in love with So You Think You Can Dance as I am!), but many of them stop by daily to provide kind feedback and to leave sweet comments to let me know they're reading.


I wish I could invite you all over to share a cup of tea (well, I'd have a mocha), but for now I'll settle for hopping from blog to blog. Thanks to each and every one of you who make an effort to encourage me and others as we share our stories. I hope you'll take a moment to pop over and see (In)courage today as it launches.

Let's find ways to motivate and inspire each other.

{Love to you!}