Giving thanks for Annaboo

I've never met Anna in person, and yet I feel like I've known her forever. Back in the happy days of Nigella.com, she popped in like a breath of fresh air, full of life and love, and she's been in my life ever since.
The first thing Anna did was introduce herself and say she was a wife & mother of four, and she was about the same age as me. We had things in common right off the bat. I'd just had my fourth baby, and had turned 40. I remember Anna posted a picture, and there were four people in the picture: an older woman and man, and a girl in pigtails, and a guy. She said something like, "Here we are with our winning fish & chips." I thought she was the older woman, and I immediately said, "Oh no! She's my age! I am getting old! I wonder if I look that old?" I didn't realize until later that Anna was the one in pigtails, with the smile, and the old lady was one of the fish & chips judges, who indeed was past 40!
Everybody loves Anna. She is pure of heart; full of love, full of life, and full of light. She's incapable of lying or pretense, and I find her so refreshing because I always know where I stand with her. I love reading her blog because she truly speaks from the heart, and I keep encouraging her to write, write, write -- she's good at it.
It's like awards season in blogland, and to see that Anna gave me a "You Make My Day" award, I was extremely touched! This, coming from one of the most kind & generous souls I know, means a great deal.
Thank you, Anna.
Since we've been friends, Anna and I have exchanged emails, swap boxes (in fact, I think, the original! Who could forget the Teacle?), gifts, thoughts, and stories. She's very far away, but I have seen pictures of her view from her kitchen window, sometimes framing a beautiful cake, and I picture myself one day sitting at her table, looking out that window and having a nice cup of tea. A cuppa. In my kitchen, I have a Greek icon of Saint Anna, Mother of the Theotokos. In the enclosed note, Anna told me that she hoped that it would serve as a reminder of the beautiful and special bond between a mother and daughter, and it has. During the very difficult first months of my grief, I kept the icon by my bedside, and although I am not religious, my mother was Greek Orthodox and the image gave me strength when I desperately needed it.

When I moved house, the icon found a natural spot in my kitchen, and there it sits to this day. I look at it every day, and think of Anna, and of my mother, and of the importance of my former Greek life, which is instilled in me, and of the power of love and friendship.
I consider myself very fortunate to have met Anna, she is a beautiful person, inside & out. I hope she knows how much she is loved.