Yes, 13! It’s official, Nine Cent Girl is a teenager, with all the audacity and dreaming that you’d want for your baby girl to envision for herself coming into the hard years. Not only is this baby girl, my little blog a teen, but this post passes over the 600 mark. It is with gratitude that I clear this monumental marker, realizing how many of you have been on this journey with me from the very start. Seriously, big thanks to all my readers. Your comments and nods have inspired me straight into this wondrous moment. Let’s share the cheer, for really, what is a writer without readers? So join with me, while I celebrate tonight, and please, please, enjoy this review of some of my favorite posts from 2023.

First stop is the most recent post, from last July, Flowers of Santa Monica. Not only did I love being in this most special west coast town, but as we enter stick season in northern Vermont, the rich hues and fragrance of summer flowers is especially enticing.

In June I had a truly significant opportunity to attend my 50th high school graduation. I will not try to distill that experience again here, but I will admit that I still feel the reverberation all these months later. I am not sure if my post, A Letter to My Younger Self, captures that weekend as succinctly as I hoped, but writing that post felt deeply emotional. Perhaps you could let me know if my words cause you to reminisce too?

Last May I wrote a post titled, Radical Joy, and ended with this final missive, “Let me know how joy dictates your living. I’d love to share in that lightness.” I’d still love to hear from you about your own joy, and still believe joy is the place to put our attention.

Last March my eldest Aunt was called home, and in my reflections about her, and the richness of my extended family I wrote, “In order to know yourself, you need to understand where and even who you came from, and in my life, that’s a lot. These larger than life icons informed most everything that defines me, from their striking curiosity about life to their endless devotion to family.” I have written countless posts about her generation, and their powerful influence over me, as I did here in The Eldest. My mother and her two sisters have a firm hold on every direction I face, and often, even after their passing, they still guide me with their wise counsel.

If you’ve been a longtime follower of Nine Cent Girl perhaps you have some favorite posts of your own, which I’d love to hear about. If this is a first time read through, I hope you enjoy the mini-retrospective. 601 posts in 13 years. I’d say, that is reason to cheer!