The Just Posts went up today, offering up their sumptuous display of tasty activism-oriented morsels. Go pay a visit to Su, jen or Mad, and see what tastiness they have to offer.

In case you haven’t encountered it (them?) before, the Just Posts is (are?)¹ a monthly roundtable of posts from around the blogosphere on topics of social justice and activism. They are posted on the 10th of each month, and anyone can send in nominations to jen, Mad or Su.

I usually take it upon myself to nominate posts that I’ve come across each month. And since there’s no limit on how many one may contribute, and since I read so many great blogs, I like to nominate a generous-sized serving. I’m a bit lazy (and maybe even a bit timid) when it come to letting people know about the nominations. However, this month, I’ll put them out here in the open. (And spread a little more link love.)

For September, I nominated posts by leslie of adventures in randomness, den of Work + Play ≠ Dull Boy, magpie of Magpie Musing, Emily of Wheels on the Bus, girlgriot of if you want kin…, Rebecca of Flying Tomato Farms, Holly of Cold Spaghetti, and of course, by my heroes jen and Mad. (And, as I’ve confessed before, I also submitted one of my own posts.) Go have a look and see which posts I nominated! Just click any of the buttons below.²

Posts about topics of social value benefits writer and reader alike, and the Just Posts are a great way to spread awareness and share ideas and ideals. I really encourage any of you out there to participate, either by writing and nominating posts of your own, or by nominating posts by others who have inspired you and made you think. And certainly I encourage you to go read! (Go. Now. What are you waiting for?)

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¹ Number agreement can be such a tricky beast…

² For the August round-up, I nominated posts by wreke of Wreke Havoc , Holly of Cold Spaghetti, YTSL of Webs of Significance, girlgriot of if you want kin… and Neil of Citizen of the Month.

Dear Jen and Mad,

I want to thank you for starting the Just Posts, and keeping them going. Ever since I read a gift post by one of your original wedding attendees/co-brides, I have been drawn in. What’s more, I have taken it upon myself to draw others in. You see, I think that when a person makes an effort to use their voice for social change or for generally making the world a better place, that person deserves an audience. And I see the Just Posts as a means to that audience.

I think the voices do really matter. Mad, I know you have expressed some doubts about the possible emptiness of online activism. Are the Just Posts really Just Words? For me, at least, they are more than that. I have actually made efforts based on what I have read. I joined a CSA, to support a local farmer and sustainable agriculture. I have donated money. I have given gifts that benefitted a school library. I have considered ways to take action, and have at least in some cases, taken those actions. And, what I feel is most important, I have started to speak out more. I have shared my thoughts and my hopes, and found others who have listened. And I think that this in itself matters.

I must admit that I was taken aback when you started your gift registry list for the baby that the two of you are growing. When you asked for time for volunteering, for actual getting-out-of-the-house actions, I thought that this was too expensive a gift to request. You see, my life has gotten quite busy in the last few months. Pressures are building for school and work, and I’m at a point where I really need to buckle down and work towards my degree. At the same time, I have other demands from family and friends, which I cannot ignore to an even greater degree that I do now.

Here’s something kinda funny. Just a few weeks before you announced this new growth in your marriage, I had started to consider more ways that I could act. I have spent time in the past in volunteering activities, and these have been very important to me. Only few days before the big announcement, likely particulary inspired by this post of Jen’s, I started looking at online databases with volunteer opportunities, scoping out places that might be close to home. But I didn’t get too far. My scoping activities were likely cut short by some other demands on my time and attention. And I thought that this was perhaps not the right time for me to start wearing my volunteer pants again, but that I’d keep looking to see if there was something I could fit in down the road.

So when you made your request, I was thrown into a bit of an existential crisis. I may even have had a wee bit of a temper tantrum. I felt a little like I was being asked to clean my room, after I’d already decided to clean my room later. “I will not clean my room! I don’t want to!” I shouted to the universe. “I don’t need to clean my room!”

But the truth is, you are right. My room is a mess. I need to pick up the piles of stuff off the floor and take some action. Here’s the thing. I can’t promise a thorough job right now. It will have to be a gradual one. For a start, I will share my stories of volunteerism, in the hopes that these may motivate me more, and maybe someone else who sees them. I will look into volunteer opportunities, and share what I’ve learned. I will make some calls. And I will find more actions I can take.

I know it’s not the gift you were hoping for, but consider it more of a gift card. Or a promise of a gift card, scribbled on a greeting card. A re-used greeting card.

So, here’s to say thank you for all you do, and all the ways that you inspire me.

Much love,

alejna

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As the ultimate in tacky gift-giving, this post is being offered not only as a shower gift to Mad and Jen for their Just Post baby, but as an entry to the Monday Missions. This week’s mission was to write a post in the form of a thank you note.