A thank you note, a love letter, and a call to action

I’m so easy to please. In this case, I’m absolutely tickled to have been named as a “Rockin’ Girl Blogger” by JanB from Just a Mom; That’s more than enough.

Thanks, Jan! (You should go check out Jan’s blog. I don’t go over there often enough and she’s got some great stuff, including a gallery of her artwork. Very cool!)

So now I’m supposed to pass on this honour. Trouble is, I could give it to any of the great chicks in my blogroll – have you clicked on a new blog lately? And, I’m so far behind on my blog reading that I have no idea who has already been nominated by someone else.

But the more I thought about it, the more I knew who I wanted to nominate. So this is a nomination and a love letter and a call to action all rolled up into one long post.

I first “met” Cooper and Emily through their blog Been There in early 2005. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in the summer of 2005, Cooper and Emily set up a clearing house where people who wanted to help could connect with people in need, and I was in awe of the power of two mom bloggers to make a real and concrete difference in the lives of people in devastating circumstances.

In the subsequent years, Cooper and Emily have raised awareness about (and even serve on the executive committee of) Moms Rising.org, and have recently spearheaded the BlogHer’s Act, a “year-long initiative to harness the incredible power of women online.” And they’ve even inspired a Canadian version. You have until midnight on July 22 to vote on which issue you’d like to see BlogHers Act Canada support for the next year. It’s your chance to step up beside your sister (and brother) bloggers to make a concrete difference in the world. (I should have been blogging about this stuff long before now. Shame on me for not getting on the ball sooner, but it’s not too late – get over there and vote now, and then let’s support these movements through the next year. You don’t have to be a fan of BlogHer or be going to the conference – you just have to care enough to want to make your tiny corner of the world a better place. Cooper and Emily give a great quote by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Get over there, inform yourself, vote, and do what you can. Because we’re all in this together!)

But back to Cooper and Emily, the stars of my show today. As if being in the centre of all this hasn’t been amazing and incredible and enough to exhaust an entire cabal of bloggers, there is more! After more than a year of hard work, they’ve just launched another pet project, “The MotherHood.”

What is The MotherHood? In Cooper and Emily’s own words: “We asked ourselves — what if we built a big, beautiful tent where mothers can find, share and talk about all the interesting, hilarious, intriguing, inspiring, mobilizing, good stuff on the web, and, more importantly, find each other? And, with that, the heart and soul of The MotherHood was born.” There are link lists, discussion groups, favourite blogs, and much more on the way. It’s a great concept, and I know with Cooper and Emily behind it, it will be a wonderful place to hang out online.

Not only do I love and admire Cooper and Emily, but I’m simply dazzled by them. And more importantly, I’m inspired by them. All modesty aside, even this simple little blog can be a tool for change, and I can start – in my own small ways – making a difference. So I offer them the simple token of the Rockin’ Girl Blogger award, my thanks and my pledge to do what I can.

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante. View all posts by DaniGirl