Sisu Award

'Sisu' is a Finnish word that cannot be translated easily. To have 'sisu,' one has guts, stubbornness, stick-to-it-iveness all rolled into one--but in a positive way. It is perseverance and determination. I once, tongue-in-cheek, described 'sisu' as "giving birth to 11 girls and getting pregnant for the 12th time because THIS one HAS to be a boy." 'Sisu' is what we Finns have in order to live here in the north country--a place where we can have -20 degree temps in the winter (NOT counting wind chills) and 90+ degree temps in the summer (NOT counting the heat index/humidity factor.) (To read the 'official' definition, go to Wikipedia.)

I decided to make my own award after recieving such nice ones from so many people. (See the sidebar under 'My ME, ME, ME Gallery'.) Today I will give the first 'Sisu Award.' The one I will give this to is a very good friend of mine--even though we have never met. I began reading her blog about a year ago and she completely amazes me. She has done a lot in her young life and has gone through a lot. Her health problems are something I don't know if I could live with--and she always tries to keep her sense of humor throughout her relapses/flares. She has completely changed her life and is raising a son as a single mother. Because she has shown true 'sisu,' I am pleased to give the 'Sisu Award' for the first time to meleah! You deserve it, my dear!