The month of guest posts has ended. The contest is over. And now it’s time for me to say several thank yous.

First and foremost, I’m grateful to the four talented (and busy) writers who said “Yes!” when I asked if they would write a guest post for me in September. Please know that I deeply appreciate all of you for adding one more thing to your busy schedules. The results were beyond what I was expecting, and for sharing your gift with me and your inspiring messages with my blog readers, I thank you.

For those of you who might have missed a guest post along the way, here are links and a brief summary:

• Jerel Law, author of Spirit Fighter, blogged about his sister-in-law, an amazing good aunt who thinks nothing of flying the less-than-friendly skies to get from Hawaii to her niece and nephews on the East Coast. Her presence is a soothing, necessary balm as the Law children learn to navigate life without their mother.
• Tracey Finck, author of Love Letters to a Child, blogged about the power of a good aunt’s pen. I hope you took her up on her suggestion to buy some stamps and sit down and write your niece/nephew/significant-other-child-in-your-life to let them know you’re thinking about them. If not, it’s never too late. I hear they even sell stamps at CVS and Wal-mart these days.
• Allison Cain, author of Revision of a Heart and several other good reads, blogged about a great way to pray about and through pain, whether emotional or physical. And who among us can’t use a good prayer cue for turning our troubles over to God?
• Shannon Hale, author of How to Pray When You Can’t Sit Still, blogged about her remarkable aunt Grace who had the courage to show her nieces she loved them, even though she couldn’t shower them with perfect gifts or perfect amounts of attention. I hope Hale challenged you to rethink a reluctance to share your love with those who are important to you.

And now about that contest
I want to thank those of you who embraced the guest bloggers and commented on their posts. And a huge thanks to those who entered the contest, too. I loved reading stories of your own aunts and how they’ve influenced you. Thank you for sharing those stories, and thanks for taking time away from what I know is a busy month to pay tribute to a special aunt in your life.

Thanks also to those of you who have told me about your own good aunts in person. And also to those of you who have spoken of a deep lack of good aunts in your life or a loss of a good aunt in your children’s lives when a sister or sister-in-law died too young.

Of those who entered the contest, Wendy ended up winning (congrats!). I was literally pulling her name from the folded pieces of paper when a telemarketer’s number popped up on my caller ID, identifying itself only as “Winner.” Serendipity? Coincidence? Just plain fun (so atypical from the caller ID these days)?

You can read Wendy’s tribute to her aunt Kate in the comments to the contest announcement. Wendy is a talented writer in her own right, and I encourage you to check out her blog, especially today’s post that might give you an idea of the type of friend you can be to the moms of your favorite kids.

Wendy: look for an email from me in your inbox asking which of the four guest bloggers’ books you’d like to receive as your prize. You can’t go wrong with any of the choices, and I’m looking forward to seeing which one you select.

If I could declare each and every one of you readers a winner, I would, but I don’t have enough money in the budget to send all of you books. Maybe as a pat on the back for encouraging me, you’ll treat yourself to one or all four of the books highlighted over the last month? If you do, let me know what you think of them.

I also encourage you, if you haven’t already, to thank a good aunt in your life. These woman can be easy to overlook, but if your good aunt is still alive, I’m betting she would love to hear your words of gratitude.