My friend Kevin Holland linked to a brilliant idea and one very appropriate for today: thank your first commenter. I remember my first comment and commenter so very well. It was Curt Rosengren and it was he who made a significant impact on whether this blog would keep going. Up to that point, I had very little traffic and no comments. While I knew I had much to give voice to, I just wasn’t sure if a blog was the right forum.

I still have those his comment but its no longer viewable in TypePad (when I was using Blogger, I managed comments and trackbacks using HaloScan):

Hi Christopher. Love the blog. Any possibility of upping the frequency of posts? This blog has some great potential. Keep up the great work!

So, thanks Curt for that little nudge. It made a world of difference.

And my warmest wishes to all of you. Even if you’re not from the U.S., I hope you know gratitude, solace, and love today.