Back in November, I shared on my Saucy Facebook page that I had some pretty amazingly feel-good news.  At that point in time, The Saucy Tomato page was coming up for renewal, but after a crazy and expensive year, I was dubious that I would ever get back to blogging.  I had ended up having hernia surgery in February.  Shortly afterwards, my husband developed a blood clot in his leg in April.  It wasn’t life-threatening, but he grew increasingly uncomfortable and was unable to work.  After weeks of testing, they scheduled him for bypass surgery in July.  The very same week of his surgery, my daughter had a freak accident that resulted in emergency room stitches and our dog ate a rag that unravelled in his intestines, resulting in emergency surgery.  Somehow, I managed to remain unscathed, so long as you didn’t count my mental state.

I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and very in debt.  I honestly didn’t know if it would be worth the time or money to invest in a renewal.  The day before Saucy was due to expire, I was talking to a complete stranger about my blog.  I told them how much I enjoyed doing it, but how I’d fallen behind on posting and still had too much on my plate (no pun intended) to keep making it work.  I commented that I couldn’t justify spending the money to renew the blog.  I would miss it, but I felt this was the right move.

The person – who is a blog aficionado themselves – went online and checked out my page.  The first thing they said was how much they loved the name.  (I know, riiiight?? 😄)  After taking a further look, they said my site was “really fantastic” (a pretty big compliment from someone like them!) and asked if I could picture myself going back to it.  I said I would love to at some point.  So this person – a complete stranger to me – gifted me with a year’s extension on my blog.  I could now take my time getting life in order again without the pressure of a renewal deadline looming ahead.  They said: “I just could not let the Tomato go.”

I was speechless.  I could not thank them enough.  There are still some pretty amazing people in this world, and I was absolutely blessed by one of them that day.

While this is such a small thing in the scheme of life, it was a huge gesture to and for me, and it reignited the Saucy flame within.  It has taken a bit to catch my breath, but I am elated to announce that I am kicking off a refreshed Saucy this month.  I thank all of you who are still with me, and I can’t wait for our next food adventure together. Here’s to you, here’s to me, and here’s to Saucy! 🥂 Cheers!