And now I’d like to thank the lovely, insightful, Tiffany Higgins.

I only recently discovered this talent and am so happy I did. Tiffany is a freelance writer who can write most anything. She’s also an award-winning children’s author, and I can’t wait to check out her books.

Her blog is an intriguing mix and you’ll find parenting narratives, joy, pain, and more all rolled into one site. Tiffany is keenly observant and her writing is beautiful and accessible in the best way.

Tiffany was kind enough to nominate me for the Blogger Recognition Award. I’m humbled and grateful.

I shared in a previous post that I am rather awkward with accepting these awards. I’m taken back to seventh grade — gangly and uncertain, with a mouth full of metal, hoping the cute boy in my math class notices me, only to be left speechless when he actually tries to make conversation.

Yeah, that’s me with awards.

But please don’t let my anxiety-stemming weirdness detract from how truly appreciative I am. THANK YOU!

I haven’t been reading as many blogs lately but am trying to get back to it, so I’ll bow out nominating others for now but will do my best to pay the love forward in the future.

Even though I’m only half following the rules, I’ll answer the questions Tiffany posed:

Give a brief story of how your blog started:

Impulsively — that’s typically how I do things. I had considered starting a blog for a while, but I got very distracted/involved with getting it just right. I hemmed and hawed over the name and trying to learn WordPress and the details to the point that I overwhelmed myself and gave up the idea completely.

Then one day I was struggling with some heavy emotions and grief, and although I’m a bit of an open book with friends, there was this hesitancy that prevented me from being able to share the pain I still felt from losing my father.

I knew writing was my only way out. I logged onto the computer, signed up for a blog and instantly created the name Grief Happens. It just came to me. I had no plan and no clue what I was doing, but I did it and figured it out as I went along.

Truthfully, I’m STILL figuring a lot out. I’m comfortable with the writing and the connecting, but the other — themes, making it organized and visually appealing is a slower process for me. I need a lot of help. My blog is certainly not as organized as some and while I do post regularly, I don’t have a specific post time, but it works with my life and I’m proud of what I’ve created.

Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers:

Do what feels best for you. We’re all different and what works for my blog might not work for yours.

That said, I think it’s best to go inward and aim to establish your content and get a feel for what you’re doing on your blog BEFORE getting too wrapped around how many followers you have. Put your energy into your content first.

Write from the heart.

Thank you again, Tiffany, for nominating me!