When I count my blessings on Thanksgiving, I think of you

I hope this doesn’t sound corny, because I mean it. As we approach Thanksgiving, I realize that I have many things to be grateful for, and you are one of them.

I started Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com a little more than two years ago. It seemed like a good idea, but there were so many unknowns.

It was the middle of the biggest recession this nation has seen since the Great Depression, and that seemed like a risky time to start a new business. The whole concept was new and different– an online gardening magazine for Western New York. Nobody had done this before, so who knew if it could possibly be successful? There were many, many ways this new business could fail.

It was like jumping off a pier. The water might be warm and welcoming, or it might hide an  overpowering current that would drag me out to sea. I wouldn’t know for sure until I dove in.

I closed my eyes and jumped.

And then along came my readers. You came to the website and you subscribed. You told your friends. You left comments.

Even though things were going well, sometimes I would get worried or tired. Then I would bump into one of my readers. When you told me how much you learn from the magazine and how you look forward to reading it every week, my energy was renewed!

Because of you, I know I’m on the right track with this magazine. Your response makes me believe that the work I do is worthwhile. You make me feel as if I’m making a difference in my small corner of the world.

And that makes producing this magazine feel like a day at the beach.

Thank you. Because of you, I’m glad I dove in.

Connie Oswald Stofko, Publisher

Photo by Connie Oswald Stofko