...Everyone

Dear Blog,

How are you? I hope you are well. Please forgive my lateness in wishing you (us) a happy anniversary. I am sorry that I'm writing this late. The funny (not ha-ha) thing is that I was anticipating the day. And yet. When it arrived I was caught up in other things. And then the day departed. And I didn't re-remember until now.

Can you believe it's been seven years? I just reread our first post. I once shared here that I sometimes wrote divrei Torah, not revealing personal stuff. Mirty commented that divrei Torah can be revelatory too. It's true; I see in reading that piece that it's more personal than I realized. That essay preceded the blog, back when email was big I used to send out a weekly parsha piece. It was a mixture; there's a lot of me and my blogging style in that first post.

I am writing you this letter in pieces, because I don't know what to say. I keep thinking that if I come back to it I'll find the right words and the perfect time. Instead I find some time and some words. G-d is perfect, all others need just try try again.

As I write this paragraph it is 2:27 PM on Sunday November 27, 2011. I just walked through my threshold, into my home. I had door to door to door service from a loving (I meant to write lovely, but let's let the Freudian slip reign) couple I just met. Shabbos was nice. Beach-house that I've been writing about here since almost the start. I wrote the poem, "Could I Go On and On?" included in this post very early in the morning while watching a far away sailboat. I forgot that I cited it in my post for our fourth anniversary.

I am tempted to cite posts from the past. I've put a lot in here. There are books in here. There is me in here. If anyone can afford to, and is inclined to back me up financially for future books with pleasure (parsha, poetry, memoir, humor in Judaism, and many more) I'm not ashamed to ask; I'm asking. I've asked before and been asked back, "Doesn't that cost a lot of money?" (I know it wasn't a yes.) My first book was financed by me. It cost a few thousand dollars, but was truly invaluable. I dreamed I'd have a book in the world. I can now point to the moment in February 2011 when my dream came true. I have enough haiku for a second volume of a haiku book. I also have enough in long form and that will cost more as it will need to be bigger. I didn't expect to start talking about practical plans and the money involved in putting out more books. Dear blog, as much as you mean to me, I think we can take this writing relationship to a higher level. Just today I had the thrill of gifting someone with my book. She flipped through it and showed me one that really touched her. Lots of people do that. And their favorites vary widely. What a joy! I'm selling the book now for five dollars and giving it to anyone that considers it something that they'd like to have and to read. It's available on the main strip in Teaneck at The Teaneck General Store. Also, it's available for a high price at lulu.com (profits go to lulu).

The poems keep flowing. I wrote some today.

I feel like there's so much to say. And yet. I have so many memories connected to here.

I think I want to close this letter. I may still reminisce more in another post. Or I may just try to spend more time with you in the future.

I hope people read and visit here and at Cousin Parshapost.

I am a writer

The ocean is my witness

The rocks are my reeds

Only the ocean

gives a piece of the answers

flowing in the waves

Happy seven year anniversary dear blog. And happy anniversary dear blog readers. May G-d bless us all...

Be Well (as one of mom's "sisters" told me she used to sign off),

Neil