A Season of Giving

Christmas is most definitely a season of not only giving, but receiving also.

It takes both a giver and a receiver for a gift to be successfully exchanged. The example we refer to is the gift of salvation offered by Jesus Christ, which is not so often 'received' by people on earth. The commercialism of Christmas tends to get in the way of us 'receiving' this gift.

Though my gift today carries nowhere near the magnitude of the Saviour's gift, it is a little something which I hope will brighten up someone's day.

My gift today is a little bit of blog space to a collection of my top followers. When I refer to 'followers' I am looking at those who have taken their time to consistently comment on my blog, thereby being a support to my blog and helping to build it up.

Anyhow, commenting on other's blogs is also good business for you - if you type your name (or blog signature) in Google, you will find every single one of your comments you have made on other's blogs! So whilst helping to advertise someone's blog, you are also helping yourself.

I am not overly keen on statistics like number of followers, those whose faces appear in little square boxes on your blog, but I do take an interest in those who take an interest in me. So today I'm going to 'give' a bit of blog space to those who have faithfully commented on my blog throughout 2011 and hope that you will 'receive' them and check out their blogs if you haven't already done so!

In no particular order, here are the people and their blogs whom I'd like to say a big thank you to for supporting my blog with their meaningful and sincere contributions over the past year:

ordinary malaysian, thank you for your support and frequent contributions! If you want to know the latest news about events in Malaysia, particularly the political side of things, this is the blog for you.

http://lifeasanordinarymalaysian.blogspot.com/

Odie Langley, it's been a pleasure reading your lovely comments. Thank you for taking such an interest in my blog and my family! Odie can be reached here:

http://odielangley.blogspot.com/

Diane AKA Thisisme, you have been a regular supporter of my blog, with comments filled with love and sincerity. Thank you so much! Diane has a lovely blog about her life in England here:

http://southhamsdarling.blogspot.com

Fidelia, my good wife, thank you for your support of my blog and for being patient with me when I've spent hours uploading, resizing and watermarking pictures to share on my blog. Fidelia's blog about our lovely children is here:

http://www.duncfiehorne.blogspot.com

Linda, thank you for your support and friendship through the blogging world, and for contributing to my blog regularly! Linda is living a good life in Italy, see it here:

http://lindyloumac.blogspot.com/

Rosalind, I believe we crossed blogging paths during the A-Z challenge of 2011, am I right?! You have been a good supporter of my blog since then and I enjoy reading your comments. Thank you for your contributions! Rosalind is an excellent writer and campaigner. Check out her blog here:

http://rosalindadam.blogspot.com

Barbara, we too met during the A-Z challenge if my memory serves me right! Thank you for commenting on my blog and taking the time to do so. Barbara's blog about the English language is found here:

http://english-speaking-zone.blogspot.com

Leovi, thank you so much for faithfully following and commenting on my blog posts! It is great to have your support. Leovi is very talented in abstract photography, a blog of which I never miss the chance to see his latest work. Prepare yourself for some abstract photography here:

http://lafotografiaefectistaabstracta.blogspot.com/

Lotta, I have enjoyed using Google Translate to help me read your Swedish comments in English. I'm sure a few things may have got lost in translation but the meaning is understood! Thank you for your lovely contributions to my blog. Lotta is a skilled photographer and takes beautiful pictures of scenery in Sweden:

http://lotta-hippsomhapp.blogspot.com

Anna Mohamed Amin, you have been a consistent contributor to my blog on various posts of your interest. Thank you for your insightful comments and for supporting my blog throughout the year! Anna is studying in Russia:

http://apple-plum.blogspot.com/

Traveling Hawk, I appreciate your warm support of my blog. It's great to hear your comments of approval of the work I'm doing on my blog. Thank you for your contributions! Traveling Hawk is from Romania but travels the world. Read her journeys here:

http://travelinghawk.blogspot.com/

Anthony Stemke, I have enjoyed your thoughts on my blog from time to time. Thank you very much for contributing and taking an interest in the Asian way of life! Anthony is pretty good with food. Here is his blog:

http://gritsandgroceries.blogspot.com/

Michelle, thank you for supporting my blog through meaningful comments. It's good to have you on board! Michelle lives in Melbourne and writes about her life there on her blog:

http://www.michryn.blogspot.com/

Marie Harmony, thank you for your visits here to my blog and for leaving such nice comments, particularly on the Fidelia's Friday posts which I know you enjoy a lot! Marie is living as an expat in Ireland, here is her blog:

http://myexpatadventureintheshamerockland.blogspot.com/

Thank you also, to all those who visit my blog but don't leave comments. Each and every visit is appreciated. If your name wasn't on the list, I'd love to hear from you, and I'll be sure to come your way in return. Let's get contributing!

Okay, the giving is done, I feel great! Now it's up to you to receive . . .