I watched a You Tube video today by Lindsay, The Frugal Crafter.  She was talking about coming up with a word for the year.  A word to live by and to focus your life around.  It’s not a goal she said, a goal is something more specific.  The word is something that you are aspiring to.  Her word is “uplift.”  She explained why she chose her word and what she wants to accomplish with it.  When I read the comments below, there were two disabled crafters who are from England and one wants to start a You Tube channel for disabled crafters and the other was offering for her to meet her group of disabled crafter friends on Facebook.  I’ve never responded to a comment from someone else before but wanted to do so this time.  Lindsay asked for others to share their words and I had already come up with mine.  My word is “give.”  I want to give encouragement to others, inspire others, help others to accomplish their goals, and in turn help myself to feel useful and fulfilled.  I introduced myself to both women and hopefully one or both of them will visit my website or this blog.  I’ve been so lucky to meet some really wonderful and inspiring people since I’ve been on You Tube.

Before I started the channel, my only concern was that I have read the comments that people leave on videos and they can be horribly hateful and I didn’t really want to have to be confronted with comments like those.  So in my first video tour of my craft room, I laid it on the table and explained the purpose of my channel and that if my hands bothered the viewer, they needed to watch another crafter.  I said it at the beginning and the end of the video.  I felt compelled to let them know that I knew they were out there and I was prepared for the comments.  What I have seen so far is that people have been wonderfully supportive.  The comments have been really heartbreaking honest, encouraging and sweet.  I feel like I am getting so much more than I am giving when I do these videos and I am so fortunate to have found this outlet for “giving.”  So my word for 2016 is give and I am 100% committed to it and to the people who watch my videos.  Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read one of my blogs or watch one of my videos.  You are giving me purpose and I can’t ask for anything more.

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