As you lovely, wonderful, kooky, snarkalicious, intelligent, thoughtful, amazing, compassionate, talented, funny, warm, Generous Kossacks who know me can attest, I don't often lack for words (especially when I'm on a rant like in the C&J or PWB posts), but my poor mind has hit a brick wall of inability to adequately express my gratitude to the Generous Anonymous Kossack (?Kossacks, plural? - I don't know!) who has given me with a Lifetime Gift Subscription, and all my feeble mind can come up with is the image of a ginormous fancy flashing neon sign blinking THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU...!!!
I didn't expect this. Something is out of my control....
It feels odd, because in my younger years I was the go-to person who provided the solutions to other people's problems, questions, queries. Nowadays I can only do things like find answers to genealogy puzzles in four or five countries, and because so many people have helped me with so many solutions to my own puzzles for some 50 years, my quest in that area of my life is to help others when I am able to. The worst I can do is say "I don't know."
I can't contribute much, if anything, in the way of monetary contributions any more. As both a senior citizen and on the disability list several years before other medical issues came my way more recently to add to those issues, I knew I couldn't do an anonymous gift subscription, so I quietly stayed in the background and didn't say much when this subscription drive started.
The lack of current financial resources beyond necessities and maybe a very small splurge once or twice a year hampers my inclination to do something wild and extravagant like walking down a store aisle and picking up toys in one area and pet food and litter in another and zipping through the checkout counter to give toys to a local organization to give to local kids who likely wouldn't have much under the tree, or derive much glee by delivering a whole back seat full of pet products to the local humane shelter. That was in my past when I had more in the way of financial resources. The high from being an anonymous donor for someone somewhere is an adrenalin rush that lasts for a while. Adrenalin rushes like that are addictive!
I get it. The walking on cloud sensation of doing something without being asked and sitting back and watching the shocked faces of surprise and pleasure, that is. Sublime fun!
I just didn't expect to be the recipient of someone else's generosity to this degree! ["Who me? You're kidding, right?"] This feels good to the degree of being an anonymous donor, and I'm walking on air!
I was half asleep when it dawned on me this morning that things are faster when I click between pages..., and then it dawned on me that the ads are gone..., so I checked my email, and I have a 'donotreply' email with the additional message that says
Message from An anonymous benefactor:
You deserve a gift, dear NonnyO, because you are loved and appreciated here at DK!
Naturally, I had to reach for tissues then.... [Overwhelming gratitude makes a
lot of tears. I'm just glad you can't see the 'ugly crying face.' Uff da!]
Whoever you are, wherever you are, know that you have my deepest gratitude with warmest love. I'm sending you glowing appreciation (especially for getting rid of the annoying ads with messages from The Dark Side of the political spectrum), and if I saw you in person I'd hug the stuffing out of you until you go 'Ooooompfh!'
I arrived at Daily Kos years ago from a Kerry blog..., thoroughly depressed, disillusioned and disheartened by the political situation. Like so many others, I found a virtual community of like-minded people who resemble the people in the community I grew up in as a kid: warm, caring, encompassing, occasionally squabbling like siblings, but mostly it's like being in a big warm embrace most of the time, because if someone attacks unjustly, there's a huge family of adopted siblings, cousins, and neighbors who swarm to one's defense, or aid if one needs help ... so I stayed for my second adopted family who have proved to be among the most wonderful people on the planet!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! My gratitude literally knows no bounds at this point!