Liebster = sweetheart, beloved person, darling

n. sweetheart, beloved person, darling 

adj. dear, darling; beloved, liked very much; affectionate, loving 

adj. favorite, preferred above others; liked or loved above others

Source:  http://translation.babylon.com/german/to-english/

Wow!  If you are looking for someone that fits this description than you need look no further than Patricia at I Want to See God.  She has a beautiful, heart longing for God, following in the path of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face blog.  She is also one of the most unabashedly loving and caring persons you will find here in the Catholic Blogging Community.

Thank you, Patricia.  You are one of the persons I am so grateful to have met since beginning this last May. If you hadn't given me the award, and already received it from two others you would be on my list of 5.

What are the requirements for receiving this award?

Your blog must have less than 200 followers (ID easily met this requirement - good thing there wasn't a minimum requirement :)  I just yesterday took off my follower widget (or is it gadget) because I am lacking in humility and want to keep the mystery of my follower number alive in hopes that you too might follow this blog thinking it is somewhere under 200 and not well under 200 as it actually is.

You need to select 5 other blogging buddies to receive the award as well.

Since Patricia gave me this award, I have begun following bunch other blogs she, and the blogs she awarded, awarded.

Some of these are really excellent, but since they already have their awards, and I am a new follower, I will tell you 5 of my favorites, even if they may have already received this same award.  

First Liebster goes to Mary at The Beautiful Gate.  Mary's blog is how I found Patricia's blog.  Mary is one of the most faithful commenters in the community.  She also started the The Community of Catholic Bloggers.  Mary sets a good example for me in that she speaks her heart of faith, and is someone always seeking to learn more and do the work required to follow after Jesus with fervor.  She also models the point that our faith sharing is what is most important, and not the controversies whether between Catholic believers or between Catholics and other believers, or non-believers.   Mary has already received this award from Patricia as well, but I am giving her another, anyway.  She is also my intercessor in the Community of Catholic Bloggers, and if you've read my blog, you know that this can be a full-time job, and somehow she continues praying for me!

Second Liebster goes to Anne at Imprisoned in my Bones. Anne left my first comment and became my second follower back in May.  I followed her back and was so happy with what I read there, and who I found writing there.  Anne is another good example.  She is a mother of five, including an oldest son that is discerning a call to serve Christ as a Priest.  Her job is to help young mothers through the WIC program, and besides the vocation of wife and mother, she is now offering everything she does for the love of God for the intention of Priests.  She posts regularly to her blog, sometimes poetry, sometimes guest homilies, sometimes reflecting on her family, job, vocation, etc.

Third Liebster goes to Noreen at Rosary Mom.  Noreen is in similar place as me in life--Mom to children in school, and besides blogging, we also share that our families live in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.  Besides her rather obvious devotion to the Blessed Mother, Noreen is active in posting and keeping prayer vigil as part of the 40 Days Campaign--that is really a 365 day campaign to plead for the intercession of the Blessed Mother to change hearts and minds and end the killing of the unborn.

Fourth Liebster goes to Barbara at Suffering with Joy.  Barbara is the member of the Community of Catholic Bloggers that I am praying for this year.  Barbara loves the Lord and wants to grow in holiness and has a spiritually mature understanding of the meaning of suffering, and a gift for sharing meditations and helpful thoughts as we navigate this valley of tears.  Here is a quote from her site, "Our suffering, offered to God, can be a source of grace for the salvation of others."

Fifth Liebster goes to Colleen at Thoughts on Grace.  Colleen posts regularly and actually has multiple blogs.  She is a spiritual director in real life, as well as a church secretary.  Her husband is a deacon and she loves him, and thanks God regularly for him.  She loves her grown children and her young grandchildren.  Her writing reflects a woman that has been lifted from painful memories . . . well that understates it, she was victimized in her childhood by her father, and while that might send many into despair and wondering "How could a loving God . . . . ", and rejection of faith, instead she was lifted up from this by God's grace, and light, and she has the gift for sharing that faith and peace with others.

Karinann is also one of my favorite blog authors and commenters, but Patricia did a wonderful job in giving her the award, already.  She writes and reads faithfully and whole-heartedly, and her comments teach and encourage.

I weakly apologize that these awards are all to people and blogs that anyone that comes here is already familiar with, but I think they all qualify both for the particulars -- less than 200 followers--although all are well ahead of me, and because they are all beloved people, loving, and supportive and encouraging, and praying for others who spend some time out here.  I think the award is supposed to lead new visitors to your sites, but this post most likely won't accomplish that.