Loving Lisis Blackston Day

Two hundred eighty days ago, a gift was put on this earth and Quest for Balance was born.

But, today, there’s another day to celebrate. One of the parents of Quest for Balance (Q4B) is having her birthday and today, it’s all about Lisis.

I happen to know the “other” parent of Q4B, Alison, a.k.a. Fairy Blog Mother, who is full of awesomeness herself. Alison, you rock (and yeah, I roll)! The day Alison told me about her friend—the one who will be the voice of Q4B and author of the blog—I wasn’t so sure I’d visit. To be honest, I hardly visited blogs at that point and wasn’t sure the purpose of blogging.

Then I read a few of Lisis’ posts first posts.

She had me at hello—and now I know the value of blogs and blogging!

Lisis is one of those rare breeds, the kind of person that is true to herself in the face of convention.

She beats to her own drummer. Her voice is clear, refreshing, and full of life. She doesn’t hide us from hard knocks, she moves through them with grace and fortitude. She trusts her gut (intuition), and man, does she have guts!

-Lisis is the person who assured me my skirt was long enough.

-Lisis is the person who introduced me to Lance, David, and Jay, among other awesome people, who have all changed my life for the better in one way or another.

-Lisis provided me with music therapy when I needed it more than she probably knew.

-Lisis opened my eyes to show me the beauty of the world around her, which helped me to see the beauty surrounding me during my darkest of moments.

-Lisis introduced me to Nadia, whose guest post eventually sparked me to write a guest post for Lisis and eventually to start this blog of my own.

-Lisis gathered her tribe around a reader and, as a group, helped to heal the person’s soul. I felt this was amazingly beautiful and so full of love—it helped me, too, as well as friends of mine, to whom I forwarded the post.

-Lisis showed me that heroes existed and still exist among us, and that, even though I have my own set of challenges, there are ways to face them head on, with strength, hope, and perseverance.

-And, finally, Lisis isn’t afraid to show herself to us—that even the best of souls can have a bad day, doubts, and fears. And that, my friends, is why rainbows follow the rain.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, LISIS!

You’ve helped me more than you know, and I hope this one-post tribute makes your day a little brighter. One day from me is trite in comparison to the 280 days you’ve given to me. Thank you!

Finally, this post is not just from me! Other readers and friends agree with my estimation of Lisis’ awesomeness and would like to add their voices to this cyber-birthday card. For those folks I didn’t email in advance, feel free to leave a comment here!

Read on, chicka! And, welcome to your new home in Vermont!

Hi Lisis,

Happy Birthday to you! May the upcoming year be filled with lots of great health, happiness, love and inner peace. One of the great things about birthdays (besides presents and cake) is that it is a chance to look at how much we have grown over the past year. This past year, you and your husband decided to take charge of your lives and find another way. It is not an easy path to take and you know that I talk from experience. However, despite the hardships that comes with such a journey, I have no doubt you will all land on your feet and be all the wiser because of the jump. I look forward to see how this whole experience will shape you and to see the life that you will create. I am also grateful that we met and that are two families are had a chance to explore NYC together. I look forward to future adventures too.

With love and blessings,

Nadia – Happy Lotus (and Jacob says Happy Birthday too!)

Blogging has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, mostly because of the incredible personalities I’ve gotten to know in the blogging world. Lisis is one of the most talented and interesting people I’ve met in through the web, and I’m proud to call her a friend. Quest for Balance was one of the very first blogs I commented on after I launched mine, so I guess I was just in the right place at the right time. When I think of the warmth and charm of the blogging community, it’s Lisis’ image that appears in my mind. I admire her candor and her courage, and thank her for the support and encouragement she’s given me over the, uh, months (though it seems like it’s been years.)

Thanks Lisis. One day, I will meet you for real! Keep writing, and keep in touch.

Happy Birthday,

David