"OVERWHELMED!", for lack of a better word. At 7:30am(CDT), my piece "For My HP Friends(response to Eliot York),  reached an altitude 5k 'reads/hits. Although the piece was penned in 2013, I mean every word written as I did then.
But, this isn't about me, it's about "you", all of the poets, writers, young/old, newcomers, and mainstays. It is for those who have passed away(God bless you), or have moved to another site(we hope you will return, at least I do.) It is for all who enjoy what we do, or think we do, best; writing about our deepest thoughts; what makes us laugh, what makes us cry, coping with adversity. It's about "living", learning of different cultures, visiting with words, places where we may never go, realizing that regardless of where we live, we are very much the same in thought and deed, discovering the common denominators between all of us. It's about "lending an ear", doing our best to comfort, strengthening a "family", which HP has developed overtime.
Without "YOU", this piece would never have never been written. Although my name is on it, it contains the  signatures of each and everyone of, "YOU!"
I will be forever, grateful.

Richard Riddle, February 07, 2016