Thankful Thursday-Candle Lighter Award

This morning I opened up an email from a special blog that I follow, One Spoiled Cat and discovered that I had received a huge honor, I had received an award,  The Candle Lighter Blog Award!

Thank you Sammy!!!!

What touched me the most about this particular award was that it was for bloggers who "light a candle in the darkness with their blog." or who "bring light into the world with their blogs"

THAT, in my opinion is an incredible honor.

I may not be the most knowledgeable, Facebook "liked" or Twitter "followed", technologically savvy, esteemed  or prolific of the cat writers on the web, but to know that Cat Chat made Sammy of One Spoiled Cat smile or brightened his day is the ultimate reward.

My goal when I started Cat Chat back in the Fall of 2009, knowing NOTHING about blogging, was simply to take my love of cats and create a warm and cozy corner where other cat lovers could convene, be made to feel welcome, and share their love of cats with mine through entertaining posts, videos, photos, stories and products.

My "Baby Bobo"

I never set out to be a cat maven, nor do I think that I am. I am merely like many of YOU. I love cats. Plain and simple. I dedicated Cat Chat to my beloved "soul kitty" Bobo...and wanted this blog to also serve as a THANK YOU to him, for the 18 years that he unselfishly gave ME the honor of sharing my life with HIM. For 18 wonderful years HE was the candle that lit MY life. The day he left this earth he took a portion of that light with him that will never be re-lit.

To my Bobo, I THANK YOU. I THANK YOU for your love, your life and for ultimately being the heart of Cat Chat. If you hadn't been on this earth, Cat Chat would never have been possible and I wouldn't have been able to meet so many other wonderful cat lovers such as Sammy and the other individual I am honored to present this award to. THANK YOU.

One cool thing about this award is when it is presented to you, you don't have to do anything. Being the contrary, cantankerous individual that I am, that translated to well of course I am going to give this to another deserving blog, if I HAD to I wouldn't, but tell me I don't have to and it's all systems go!

The handsome "Brian"
he bears a striking resemblance
to Bobo doesn't he?

The blogger/blog I would like to pass this special award on to is Brian from Brian's Home. Brian also has a blog that is a labor of love, his mission in his own words  is to "Adopt Cats, We Deserve It!" From the first day I started to follow Brian's blog there was never a time that I read it that I wasn't touched in some way, either through stories about his own cats, his unselfishness in helping other bloggers and primarily through his mission to help thousands of homeless cats find their furever homes, every day he "brings light into the world through his blog". Brian was the first cat who came into my mind when I was deciding whom to pass this most touching award on to.

To Brian I say, THANK YOU, thank you for your regular visits/comments to Cat Chat and the often hilarious comments that you leave, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO....please accept this award presented to you with love and gratitude, why? Because "YOU DESERVE IT!"