John, thank you for remembering our interaction and including me in this beautiful, thoughtful conversation about why this community is different, needed, and thriving. Your work inspires me to continue. 🥂I am grateful every day for this Substack community and hope it endures in spite of the push to change it into another social media platform.
This was delightful, Jon. Your gratitude is almost as prodigious as your contributions. I liked that you mentioned the Substack people who influenced you. And I was honored to be so noted. I do feel like this is a community, and you’re one of the people who made that true for me. I love your involvement, although I haven’t taken much time in them. Just knowing you’re out there creating more community soothes my soul. So, anyhoo, thanks for the communal spread of gratitude. I won’t forget it.
Judi, this means more than I can say thank you. Knowing it brought a sense of calm and connection to you is exactly why I do this. You don’t have to be everywhere to belong here you already do. Grateful for you and the way you show up.
I woke up to my Substack activity blowing up. Shook off the morning fog and finally figured out what was going on. John! Thank you so much for including me in this post and for your kind words about my work. It truly made my morning after a rough week. You’ve always been so supportive! Happy to meet all the other fine Substackers you mentioned. The community here continues to blow my mind. 🫶 Will restack this a bit later.
Lovely to read your note, Lyndon. Welcome to Substack! Glad you're already finding connection with genuine folks. I am consistently moved by the writers and creators who bravely share their work, their thoughts, their art, and whose work inspires my own efforts.
John does a wonderful service, introducing new voices, authentic people who often have a backstory of transcendence and growth.
Amazing post John. So glad to hear people reached out and showed interest. Its such a worthwhile project - I barely had to say anything and people said "great idea" sometimes we just need someone to stand behind us and go. look at the amazing work this guy is doing so we don't have to be the only one shouting. I know you just saw a problem and did what you could to bring a solution. Happy to be a wingman and build you up! Thanks for sharing about all of the others here in this amazing substack community we are building. I'm pretty sure this place saved my life. people checking in and watching over me through some really hard dark chapters made me realized I wasn't alone. Sending blessings to you, your family, this page and the library project.
Megan, this means a lot… thank you. You’ve captured it perfectly: sometimes we just need someone to stand beside us so the message can carry further. I’m grateful you stepped in like that.
If this community can remind even one person they’re not alone, then it’s doing exactly what it was meant to do.
Grateful for you, your strength, and the way you show up. Sending that same blessing right back to you and your family.
John, thank you for mentioning me. You know that I feel exactly like you do about people, connection, and... Substack. No, Substack is not perfect. Perfect is one of those words that we can use for our newborn baby's everything, for the way the sun feels on our face on a winter morning, a cold drink after a long run, the feeling after the run, a perfectly ripened mango. More accurately, it is a word you can use to describe a feeling, how something makes you feel. But really, it isn't making you feel anything, you are making it. We create what we feel. From this view, we can be anywhere and with anyone and make perfection. But to do this, we must know why we are where we are, why we are with the person we are with. What do we want to create? Because maybe much of what we are trying to create will never lead us to anything close to perfection. Maybe it will always lead us to the opposite - frustration, self-doubt, envy, disconnection, loneliness... This doesn't happen when we focus on creating kindness, support, community, gentleness, caring... when we know that we are here or in any space, interacting with everyone to create our loving intentions with our full attention. Not everyone feels the butterflies in their stomach or the fullness in their heart from someone saying, 'thank you' or 'me too' or 'your presence matters to me', when someone lets us in by sharing an authentic piece of themselves - not like we do. Some people are chasing numbers, not butterflies. And this is perfectly the way it is supposed to be. I have learned, after coming here tired of the feeling IG, FB, and my blog were giving me, that Substack (and any other platform) will always become what I make it. It will give back the type of energy I put into it. I am putting in love. I am doing it slowly bc it feels more human, more me. And I am getting love. I am connecting with humans. Perfectly. Thank you again. Me too. Your presence matters to me. 💕
Danni, I love how you describe it perfect isn’t the thing, it’s the feeling it awakens in us. And this space, like life, is shaped by what we bring to it. Grateful for you.
John, thank you for remembering our interaction and including me in this beautiful, thoughtful conversation about why this community is different, needed, and thriving. Your work inspires me to continue. 🥂I am grateful every day for this Substack community and hope it endures in spite of the push to change it into another social media platform.
Good morning John and all within this community family. In this place , its so nice to share our thoughts , the good days , challenging days and even the days we pray for healing , care , our past and future. Grately appreciate all of you.
Such a beautiful post. Thank you for the honor of mentioning me, in wonderful company. It's moving, to connect with other authentic souls here on Substack. I am inspired by their shared wisdom and radiance.
Thank you, John, for being such a warm and genuine human being, and for sharing from that place, here on Substack.
I felt positive energy from this post. For me SubStack is a place to inspire and be inspired and to hear other people's points of view. Thank you for letting me share. I enjoyed your story.
Thank you. I’m glad it brought you that energy. That’s what this space is about sharing, learning, and inspiring one another. Grateful you’re part of it. 🙏🤗✌️
Thank you Uma I’m really glad the writing has helped you grow. Keep showing up, writing, and sharing your voice. Grateful for you and your support. Take care 🙏🤗✌️
What beautiful and encouraging words. They ring true and I felt a big, comforting sigh of relief come over me as I read them. Thank you for your words.
Thank you so much for honoring the Substack family - you are an important member of it. 🙏🙏🙏
First thing in the morning since I joined Substack on January: opening my computer to see what they all are doing (and very reluctantly bought a new laptop last summer because windows 10 didn’t work any longer, don’t even own a smartphone). 💕
Your community is grateful for you. Promoting a library of books by the writers here has to be such a gift to these writers but also the community you have created just continues to thrive on eachother’s creativity. I found Substack through a friend, I found you and your posts each day, and I found my voice a little more each time I responded to a post. Thank you. I’m grateful for this place that I trust with my thoughts and who I am. I will never write a book but I’m humbled to experience this community.
Mary Ann, this is deeply moving thank you. Finding your voice matters more than writing a book. This space is yours too, and your words already add something meaningful. Grateful you’re here with us.
It really is magical. We all need this. And not for the promotion of our books, but the holding up of our faith, our spirit, the dream of being part of something better. Thank you again. Love and more love to all.
John, thank you for remembering our interaction and including me in this beautiful, thoughtful conversation about why this community is different, needed, and thriving. Your work inspires me to continue. 🥂I am grateful every day for this Substack community and hope it endures in spite of the push to change it into another social media platform.
Simone, thank you. I’m glad our interaction stayed with you. What you said matters… this space is different because of people like you.🙏🤗✌️
This was delightful, Jon. Your gratitude is almost as prodigious as your contributions. I liked that you mentioned the Substack people who influenced you. And I was honored to be so noted. I do feel like this is a community, and you’re one of the people who made that true for me. I love your involvement, although I haven’t taken much time in them. Just knowing you’re out there creating more community soothes my soul. So, anyhoo, thanks for the communal spread of gratitude. I won’t forget it.
Judi, this means more than I can say thank you. Knowing it brought a sense of calm and connection to you is exactly why I do this. You don’t have to be everywhere to belong here you already do. Grateful for you and the way you show up.
I woke up to my Substack activity blowing up. Shook off the morning fog and finally figured out what was going on. John! Thank you so much for including me in this post and for your kind words about my work. It truly made my morning after a rough week. You’ve always been so supportive! Happy to meet all the other fine Substackers you mentioned. The community here continues to blow my mind. 🫶 Will restack this a bit later.
"Shook off the morning fog and finally figured out what was going on. John!" That line had me busting up laughing so hard.
You are very welcome 🙏🤗✌️
Lovely to read your note, Lyndon. Welcome to Substack! Glad you're already finding connection with genuine folks. I am consistently moved by the writers and creators who bravely share their work, their thoughts, their art, and whose work inspires my own efforts.
John does a wonderful service, introducing new voices, authentic people who often have a backstory of transcendence and growth.
Glad you're here.
Thank you Jo! 🙏🤗✌️
Amazing post John. So glad to hear people reached out and showed interest. Its such a worthwhile project - I barely had to say anything and people said "great idea" sometimes we just need someone to stand behind us and go. look at the amazing work this guy is doing so we don't have to be the only one shouting. I know you just saw a problem and did what you could to bring a solution. Happy to be a wingman and build you up! Thanks for sharing about all of the others here in this amazing substack community we are building. I'm pretty sure this place saved my life. people checking in and watching over me through some really hard dark chapters made me realized I wasn't alone. Sending blessings to you, your family, this page and the library project.
Megan, this means a lot… thank you. You’ve captured it perfectly: sometimes we just need someone to stand beside us so the message can carry further. I’m grateful you stepped in like that.
If this community can remind even one person they’re not alone, then it’s doing exactly what it was meant to do.
Grateful for you, your strength, and the way you show up. Sending that same blessing right back to you and your family.
John, thank you for mentioning me. You know that I feel exactly like you do about people, connection, and... Substack. No, Substack is not perfect. Perfect is one of those words that we can use for our newborn baby's everything, for the way the sun feels on our face on a winter morning, a cold drink after a long run, the feeling after the run, a perfectly ripened mango. More accurately, it is a word you can use to describe a feeling, how something makes you feel. But really, it isn't making you feel anything, you are making it. We create what we feel. From this view, we can be anywhere and with anyone and make perfection. But to do this, we must know why we are where we are, why we are with the person we are with. What do we want to create? Because maybe much of what we are trying to create will never lead us to anything close to perfection. Maybe it will always lead us to the opposite - frustration, self-doubt, envy, disconnection, loneliness... This doesn't happen when we focus on creating kindness, support, community, gentleness, caring... when we know that we are here or in any space, interacting with everyone to create our loving intentions with our full attention. Not everyone feels the butterflies in their stomach or the fullness in their heart from someone saying, 'thank you' or 'me too' or 'your presence matters to me', when someone lets us in by sharing an authentic piece of themselves - not like we do. Some people are chasing numbers, not butterflies. And this is perfectly the way it is supposed to be. I have learned, after coming here tired of the feeling IG, FB, and my blog were giving me, that Substack (and any other platform) will always become what I make it. It will give back the type of energy I put into it. I am putting in love. I am doing it slowly bc it feels more human, more me. And I am getting love. I am connecting with humans. Perfectly. Thank you again. Me too. Your presence matters to me. 💕
Danni, I love how you describe it perfect isn’t the thing, it’s the feeling it awakens in us. And this space, like life, is shaped by what we bring to it. Grateful for you.
John, thank you for remembering our interaction and including me in this beautiful, thoughtful conversation about why this community is different, needed, and thriving. Your work inspires me to continue. 🥂I am grateful every day for this Substack community and hope it endures in spite of the push to change it into another social media platform.
Simone, thank you 🙏🤗✌️
I share that same hope of keeping this space grounded, real, and human matters. Grateful for you.
Good morning John and all within this community family. In this place , its so nice to share our thoughts , the good days , challenging days and even the days we pray for healing , care , our past and future. Grately appreciate all of you.
Good morning Amy. Grateful for you and this community walking together in strength and healing.
Such a beautiful post. Thank you for the honor of mentioning me, in wonderful company. It's moving, to connect with other authentic souls here on Substack. I am inspired by their shared wisdom and radiance.
Thank you, John, for being such a warm and genuine human being, and for sharing from that place, here on Substack.
Namasté 💟
Thank you, Jo. This space is better because of souls like you authentic, open, and inspiring. Grateful for your presence and the light you share here.
I felt positive energy from this post. For me SubStack is a place to inspire and be inspired and to hear other people's points of view. Thank you for letting me share. I enjoyed your story.
Thank you. I’m glad it brought you that energy. That’s what this space is about sharing, learning, and inspiring one another. Grateful you’re part of it. 🙏🤗✌️
Hey join
It goes without saying you writings touch the pulse of the people.
Thanks for mentioning my name too in the post. It means a lots to me🙏🏿
Since I joined Substack o have been reading your posts and learning a lot so that o can improve and wrote more nicely
I like the way you encourage everyone here to write , publish , read and comment.This calls for an appreciation 💯💯💯
Thanks for everything John🙏🏿
Take care of yourself nicely 🙏🏿
☮️💜☮️💜☮️
Thank you Uma I’m really glad the writing has helped you grow. Keep showing up, writing, and sharing your voice. Grateful for you and your support. Take care 🙏🤗✌️
What beautiful and encouraging words. They ring true and I felt a big, comforting sigh of relief come over me as I read them. Thank you for your words.
Debi, thank you. If it brought even a moment of relief, then it did what it was meant to do. Grateful my words found you at the right time.
I've only been here a short time but enjoy seeing your posts and how you support people.
I resonate with much of what you shared but this stood out for me "you lean into creativity, into stories, into connection—it changes."
Pam, thank you that means a lot.🙏🤗✌️
Thank you so much for honoring the Substack family - you are an important member of it. 🙏🙏🙏
First thing in the morning since I joined Substack on January: opening my computer to see what they all are doing (and very reluctantly bought a new laptop last summer because windows 10 didn’t work any longer, don’t even own a smartphone). 💕
Bridget, that means more than you know thank you. Grateful you’re part of this journey. 🙏🤗✌️
Thank you so much! 🖖
🙏🤗✌️
Your community is grateful for you. Promoting a library of books by the writers here has to be such a gift to these writers but also the community you have created just continues to thrive on eachother’s creativity. I found Substack through a friend, I found you and your posts each day, and I found my voice a little more each time I responded to a post. Thank you. I’m grateful for this place that I trust with my thoughts and who I am. I will never write a book but I’m humbled to experience this community.
Mary Ann, this is deeply moving thank you. Finding your voice matters more than writing a book. This space is yours too, and your words already add something meaningful. Grateful you’re here with us.
Ah yes. Me too. I most enjoy interacting. So many thoughtful people.
So many thoughtful voices coming together. Grateful to be part of it.
It really is magical. We all need this. And not for the promotion of our books, but the holding up of our faith, our spirit, the dream of being part of something better. Thank you again. Love and more love to all.
💟🙏