It's seldom you get to send a thank you note to a poet who's been an inspiration and model for you to strive for a higher level of art, but today I had that chance, thanks to the wonderful blog Dear Mary. The brainchild of Julie L. Moore and Julie Brooks Barbour, the blog gives us the chance to write thank you notes to Mary Oliver. Mary is coping with illness at the moment -- expecting make a good recovery, but nonetheless struggling at the moment with it. So the Julies devised this terrific way to convey cheer and affection to Mary Oliver. I'm happy that my little note went on it today. I hope Ms. Oliver gets a chance to read this paragraph from a devoted fan.