Today marks the one year birthday of Happy Lotus! It is hard to believe but one year has passed since this blog first debuted on August 16, 2008. When I first launched this blog, my primary focus was to write about health, food and wellness. Happiness and spirituality were topics that I planned to include every now and then.
Initially, I only shared this blog with family and friends. The comments were closed since there just seemed no point in having them open. Within a few months, friends were telling me to write more about happiness and spirituality. I decided to follow their advice and eventually comments were turned on and it took some time for people to actually leave comments. In late February of this year, the time came for me to take the blog public and it has been such a wonderful journey.
Thank you so much for reading my blog. I know that many of you leave comments but I also know that there are many others who read and choose to remain silent.Whatever the case may be, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the support and for reading. You all have made a difference in my life.
As this blog has grown, I have grown too. I have learned so much more about myself, life and spirituality. I have met so many amazing people and some of them have become dear friends. I have been able to guest post at wonderful blogs run by amazing people (On Simplicity, Attraction Mind Map, Urban Monk, Sharing The Journey, Goodlife ZEN, Write to Done, Quest for Balance and Jungle of Life). I have had the chance to interview people who not only graciously gave me the chance to talk to them but who also have become friends.
When I first decided to work as a writer nineteen years ago, my main hope was that whatever I would write would hopefully help add some beauty or light into the world. I always said that if one person were to benefit or derive joy from something that I was inspired to write, then my job has been done.
Each time I publish a post and I read all the comments many of you leave, I am deeply grateful and humbled. Words cannot adequately describe the feeling. Life is definitely a wonderful journey and thank you so much for being a part of mine.
With all of this in mind, the song for today is I Love You by Martina McBride. The song is about love and that is what I feel for this blog and for all of you who read it. So, once again, thank you for being a part of this special day and I look forward to the year ahead. Your support means the world to me. Things, I hope, are only going to get better!
I Love You
Yeah
The sun is shining everyday
The clouds never get in the way for you and me
I’ve known you just a week or two
But baby I’m so into you I can hardly breatheAnd I’m in
So totally wrapped up
Emotionally attracted
So physically acting
So recklessly I need you
So desperately sure as the sky is blue
Baby I love you
I love youI never knew that I could feel like this
Can hardly wait till our next kiss
Your so cool
If I’m dreaming please don’t wake me up
‘Cause baby I can’t get enough of what you doAnd I’m in
So electrically charged up
Kinetically acting
Erratically need you
Fanatically you get to me
Magically sure as the sky is blue
Baby I love youI can’t believe
That this is real
The way I feel
Baby I gone head over heelsAnd I’m in
So totally wrapped up
Emotionally attracted
So physically acting
So recklessly I need you
So desperately sure as the sky is blue
YeahAnd I’m in
So electrically charged up
Kinetically acting
Erractically need you
Fanatically you get to me
Magically sure as the sky is blue
Baby I love you
Baby I love you
Do you love me too
Baby I love you
{ 56 comments }
Nadia,
Happy One Year Birthday to Happy Lotus! What a wonderful journey this has been, and I’m so, so glad you chose to write in this space. I find so much inspiration in the words you write and share. Nadia, you have a gift for writing. Not only that, though, at a deeper level for connecting with the meaning of the words you write. It’s so beautiful. And real.
As we write, I believe that we find that voice within us. It’s there, although it may not always be the voice we’re thinking it is when we start out. It wasn’t for me either. Through the process of writing, that voice has developed. Nadia, your voice is the voice of your heart, and that’s what makes your writing so meaningful.
So, as you enter your second year – I look forward to all that is to come. Keep listening to your heart and soul. And continue to inspire so many (especially me) with your amazing writing!
.-= Lance´s last blog ..Sunday Thought For The Day =-.
Hi Lance,
Thank you so much for all the kind words and for being not only a reader but also a friend. When I started this blog a year ago, I had no idea where it would take me. I am so happy to be where I am and to have such wonderful readers.
Life is truly an amazing journey.
Happy Birthday …..to a fellow pilgrim on the road called Life.
.-= Sarah Lulu´s last blog ..Tantrum throwing – Sarah Lulu’s way … =-.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much and I love how you called us “pilgrim’s on the road called life”. That is a very beautiful image. Hope all is well with you and thank you so much for your support.
A year – congratulations! I love the blog’s transformation and am grateful I connected with Happy Lotus a few months ago when I did. It’s been phenomenal to read your wisdom, and every time I do I’m filled with the love that inspired it.
I’m not sure I could say it any better than Lance did, but please know that the sentiments he shared are felt by so many of us.
I hope this next year is one unlike any other for you, filled with all good things and good people, and with all your fondest dreams coming true.
Blessings & joy ~ Megan
.-= Megan “JoyGirl!” Bord´s last blog ..The Earth: Teacher of Unconditional Love (Quote from Byron Katie) =-.
Hi Megan,
Thank you so much for always spreading such joy with your comments and as I said to Lance, thank you so much for being a supporter who also became a friend. I am so happy that our paths have crossed and I look forward to see where life takes us.
Happy Anniversary! Your blog is fantastic and it’s always so inspiring to read. Thanks for writing and for sharing it with your readers. I love the song you’ve posted above too. Whenever I hear it, I instantly feel in a good mood!
.-= Positively Present´s last blog ..happy anniversary, positively present! =-.
Hi Dani,
Thank you so much for the well wishes. Happy six month birthday to your blog too!
Hope you have a wonderful time on your vacation. England is a wonderful country. I have been there twice and have had a great time with each visit. Safe travels too!
Happy First Year Birthday Happy Lotus!!!
Notice how HAPPY is predominant in the sentence above..that just what your blog has been for me Nadia….A Happy Happy Place or me to read and learn and share.
I hope to read more of your lifes wonderful adventures and learn from them…for years to come.
Congratulations and lots and lots of love and prayers for Happy Lotus’s coming years,.
.-= Zeenat{Positive Provocations}´s last blog ..Inspirational Quote/Thought of the Week{15.8.09} =-.
Hi Zeenat,
Thank you so much for all the well wishes and the support. It means so much. Words cannot describe the joy at knowing that people do enjoy reading my blog. It is very humbling. Hope all is well with you!
Happy Birthday, Happy Lotus!!!
I just wanted to send you some huge virtual hugs and lots of love. I’m looking forward to your second year and all the years to follow.
.-= Lisis´s last blog ..Inspiration from Brenda Short: Thank You =-.
Hi Lisis,
It is great to see you in the comment box, my dear friend. Huge virtual hugs and lots of love right back at you!
I hope that you are feeling better and I look forward to see the journey ahead for all of us! Should be interesting. 
Happy Birthday, HappyLotus…
I look forward to the next 365 days…
.-= Takuin Minamoto´s last blog ..The Storytelling of a Dead Man =-.
Hi Takuin,
Thank you so much…I look forward to the next 365 days too.
Nadia:
Happy Birthday and congratulations on your blog hitting the one year mark! Over the past year, I have consistently enjoyed the thoughts and energy that you put into this blog. You are a great writer and I have enjoyed the journey with you. Keep up the great work and I look forward to reading more of your writing.
.-= Tim´s last blog ..Weekend Musical Diversion: Woodstock =-.
Hi Tim,
Thank you so much for all that you said and for all the support. I am so grateful that you choose to read what I write and to be a part of my journey. I wish I could find the right words to describe all the emotions that come to mind but I am at a loss. All I can say is thank you, thank you and thank you.
Hi Nadia!
Wow, you made it through a whole year of blogging!! Congratulations! I am so glad you decided to make your blog public and I am so glad that you write so much about spirituality now. All of your posts are wonderful and have made an impact on me. I look forward to your next year of writing! XO!
.-= Jodi at Joy Discovered´s last blog ..Inspiration Pages =-.
Hi Jodi,
It is hard to believe it has been a year. I guess I must be having fun.
It is funny, about seven years ago, the thought about doing spiritual writing crossed my mind but I was so immersed in my pain, I could not see how I could tell people what to do if I was such a mess.
So I let the idea go and then thanks to this blog, I was somewhat forced to write about spirituality and in the process, I have come to see how much I have grown. Life is surely amazing. Hope all is well with you!
Happy Blogday, Shiny Girl!
It’s been almost five months since I discovered your site through a link Evelyn Lim put on Twitter. You were posting and getting feedback daily. HaLo became a portal to the wonderful world of positive thought/spirituality/personal development blogs. That has to be meaningful to you, Nadia, that you’ve been able to serve as a conduit to so many other wonderful voices. You efforts have certainly enriched my life, as I’ve told you many times. Now it’s going to get even better because yesterday I was told that I’m going to be a grandmother. Life is so good, isn’t it!
.-= Brenda´s last blog ..On Abundance =-.
Hi Brenda,
Congratulations to you!!! Life definitely is so good.
Here is a huge hug to commerate your special news. I am very, very happy for you.
I also have to thank you for being a loyal reader who also became a friend. Yes, it is meaningful to me that my blog has helped other people discover other bloggers. There is enough abundance for us all…so it is wonderful to be of service. It is also wonderful to read comments where people tell me how this blog has enriched their lives. It is truly humbling and makes me more aware of the responsibility that comes with writing. I hope that the next year will bring more joy to us all.
Happy Birthday!
“You’re so cool
If I’m dreaming please don’t wake me up
‘Cause baby I can’t get enough of what you do”
Great writing, wonderful spirit, plugged in, and an amazing woman – Nadia thanks for all you do. Keep following your heart, I’ve loving where it is taking me!
You go, girl!
Continue to Create Your Day!
.-= Lori´s last blog ..What the Tide Brings =-.
Hi Lori,
You are so loving, thank you so much for all that you wrote. I am so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people who have become friends and you are definitely one of them. I am so grateful for all that has happened to me in the past for it made all of this possible. Who knew that the stuff that happened to me years ago would be material for a blog? I sure didn’t.
Dearest Nadia
A very very Happy Birthday to Happy Lotus. Congratulations to you , Nadia ,as a writer for spreading light and joy, in the way only you can. !!!
May you keep growing, learning and sharing with us. It’s been an awesome few months of reading this blog. Your writing has and is changing me in many ways, opening me to beauty and peace.
May the journey continue onwards with as much learning and joy for all of us .
May happy lotuses blosson and bloom in you, me and all us as we read and love the blog.
God bless you now and always
Lots of love
Uzma
Hi Uzma,
Many blessings and joy to you too! The growing never stops and it is my hope to keep sharing the journey with all of you. We are all looking for the same thing in the end so we might as well help each other along the way.
Each person who has read this blog has helped me in so many ways. I wish I could find the right words to describe it but I cannot. All I know is that you all have helped me heal in ways I never imagined. Thank you, thank you and thank you!
Happy Birthday, Happy Lotus!
Nadia, I love you, and I love this blog. You’ve helped me so much over the past few months, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough. Like Lisis said, I’m looking forward to many more years of Happy Lotus ahead!
.-= Jay Schryer´s last blog ..The Big Easy =-.
Hi Jay,
It is so great to see you again. I know you were away and you were missed. Thank you so much for all that you wrote. You all have helped me too…so I guess it goes both ways, right?
YIPEE….another milestone passed.
Heartfelt Congratulations Nadia and Happy Birthday Happy Lotus.
Your blog was recently forwarded to me and I’m so happy and grateful that it was.
You play a big game in life Nadia, one that’s filled with love, freedom and joy.
I acknowledge you for adding such value to my life. Thank You.
Here’s to many more brithdays and many more inspiring posts.
Enjoy your celebrations!
.-= Ann-Marie´s last blog ..Exciting and tough; this learning to play a totally different game. =-.
Hi Ann-Marie,
Thank you so much for all that you said. You have no idea how much your comment touched my heart. Actually, all the comments I receive have an effect on me. You all do not have to read what I write but you do, it means so much to me. So thank you for being a reader and a supporter.
Happy birthday, Happy Lotus!
Keep shining your light into the world, Nadia.
There are many people who need upliftment and inspiration.
Continue to use your gifts for humanity.
Live Life Happy!
.-= Jacqueline Johns – Your Happy Life Mentor´s last blog ..Site Build It =-.
Hi Jacqueline,
Thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm. Both are much appreciated!
And I definitely do live life happy! May you do the same!
Hello Nadia, you deserve every bit of success with your blog. You publish some of the most authentically written posts I have read! I like that whenever I come for a visit, I can be assured of a happy, warm and inviting feel to the energy of your site. Happy first birthday to your site!
.-= Evelyn Lim´s last blog ..Align with Abundance =-.
Hi Evelyn,
Thank you so much for all that you said and for letting me guest post on your site. This past year has been an amazing journey, I look forward to whatever is next. I also look forward to whatever is next for you. Your blog is one of my favorites.
Hi Nadia,
You write so easily, freely and honestly because they are naturally coming out from you. And I always love to feel the happiness when i read your posts which are uplifting and full of life. And also thanks a lot for being a such a good friend in the blogsphere since I first started my blog.
I’m so glad to put this comment on your blog on its 1st B’day. When I first read from your blog few months ago, I felt this as a must read blog and still i feel in that way or more than that
Wish you a very Happy Birthday Happy Lotus !!! ( with a warm hug)
May You share your wisdom longer !
~vikum
.-= vikum´s last blog ..Think Big =-.
Hi Vikum,
Thank you so much for all that you said. You have been one of my early readers and supporters which means so much to me. Thank you for also being a friend.
As for the writing, that is one subject that everyone asks me about and the more I think about it the more I realize that it is a spiritual question on some level. I will not get into it here because then this reply would be really long. I do plan to write about it at some point. I just wanted to address it now since so many readers have mentioned it.
Anyway, hug to you too, my friend! Hope all is well with you and keep smiling!
Congratulations on your 1 year in blog land!!
.-= Tabitha´s last blog ..Sunday Citar 8/16 =-.
Hi Tabitha,
Thank you so much! Hope all is blissful with you!
Happy Birthday. I can’t imagine a time when you weren’t blogging. It seems like such an integral part of your life now, and your posts seem to flow so freely. You’re a natural.
.-= J.D. Meier´s last blog ..3 Take Aways =-.
Hi JD,
Thank you so much for all that you said. It is great to receive such positive feedback. Please know that I am grateful that you not only read my blog but that you have become a friend too. Must be a Jersey thing!
Congratulations on reaching the first year milestone, Nadia!
Your posts are always wonderful. I always find a new way of looking at things or find that you “phrased” a sentence that puts my thoughts into words. On most days, your blog gives me a message that helps me to make my day several lumen brighter!
Good luck on the upcoming year and the future! You have a faithful follower in me eagerly awaiting for your next blog article!!
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Hi Lotus,
Thank you so much for all that you said. I am very grateful for all that you wrote and for your loyal support. All these comments from readers such as yourself have brightened these last two days so much…thank you, thank you and thank you!
Great. Here is to a wonderful friend and an inspiring blog!
.-= Sunny Jamiel´s last blog ..The Law of Dissatisfaction =-.
Hi Sunny,
Thank you so much for always being such a loyal supporter and friend! Hope all is well with you and the family. Keep Smiling!
Happy one year anniversary ! Thank you so much for being such a light and an inspiration to me, not only through your writing, but your friendship as well. I am so happy that you decided to go public and share your gifts with the world!
~~~~~I am so incredibly grateful that our paths crossed~~~~~
Cheers to the Happy Lotus, and to you Nadia for being the wonderful person that you are.
Much Love & blessings…. Angie
Hi Angie,
You are so kind. Thank you so much for all the support and friendship. It has been so wonderful to meet so many wonderful people through my blog and you are one of them I am so happy our paths have crossed too.
Happy Anniversary! Your tone is so warm and personal–it’s no wonder people respond to it. An expected benefit I’ve had from writing, as you point out, is that it’s helped me in my own growth.
Thanks, I look forward to a lot more from Happy Lotus!
k
.-= Kaushik´s last blog ..Call off the Struggle =-.
Hi Kaushik,
Thank you so much for the kind words and the support. I am happy that you have noticed the same thing from writing. It is a subtle result but when you look back, you realize the magnitude of the process. Life is an interesting journey and I look forward to the road ahead.
Nadia,
Wow, a year already? I am proud to say that I have been following, although quietly at first, most of your posts and always find inspiration and motivation to take action on certain aspects of my life from the information you share. I love your writing and look forward to reading whenever I can.
Thanks so much for sharing for this past year and here’s to many more years to come.
Grateful,
Darren Sproat
.-= Darren Sproat´s last blog ..Be Present for You =-.
Hi Darren,
I am grateful too. Thank you so much for being a reader and a supporter. I am so happy that you have been inspired to take action in your own life. That is so wonderful to read and know.
I’m not sure whether to wish Happy Lotus a happy birthday or a happy anniversary – it feels like both! It’s testimony to your talent, vocation and consistent hard work that you’ve not only reached this milestone, but have achieved a stunning amount in a year of blogging and Twittering. I’m so glad we met and became friends through my post on Write to Done and I’m grateful for every single comment you’ve ever left at my blog. Thank you, too, for all the people I’ve been lucky enough to meet through you, for the guest post and links and for all the millions of wonderful, heart-felt words of inspiration and support you’ve blessed us all with. May there be millions more and a long and prosperous career as an author as well as a blogger!
.-= janice´s last blog ..Welcome to My Kitchen Table =-.
Hi Janice,
Thank you for not only being a wonderful friend but for always leaving comments that are full of love and kindness. You do that with all your comments and with your posts. I am so grateful that our paths have crossed and there is an interesting road ahead.
Hi Nadia
What a party and of course congratulations from me too. Sharing thoughts is a very generous act as via your words my heart feels expressed and recognized.
Thank you Nadia.
.-= Wilma Ham´s last blog ..Exciting and tough; this learning to play a totally different game. =-.
Hi Wilma,
Thank you so much for all that you wrote. It is amazing that one year has passed. Time flies when you are having fun and blogging is lots of fun! Hope all is awesome!
Nadia, I can’t believe I missed your birthday celebration! This is such a great achievement and I’ve so much enjoyed the ride. I’m so much looking forward to what the next year holds over here!
Happy birthday!!!!!!!!
.-= Ian | Quantum Learning´s last blog ..Mind your own business =-.
Hi Ian,
It is never too late to join in the celebration! It is great to see you. Hope all is well with you and yours!
Happy belated birthday!!! I am sooooooooooooooo super-glad I found your blog. I think it was via Lance, another burst of sunshine in the blogosphere.
This is so great. I love blogging!!!
And my blog’s first birthday is coming up September 22nd. OMG — what shall I post for the celebration? And more importantly– what shall I WEAR?
.-= Jannie Funster´s last blog ..Yes, Kids Do Say The Darndest Things =-.
Hi Jannie,
It is never too late to join in on a celebration. I personally could celebrate everyday. So no worries, my friend.
I found your site through Lance too. I guess great minds think alike, right?
As for your one year birthday coming up, I shall be there and now I have to think what to wear. Decisions, decisions.