I have been given the Marie-Antoinette award by my friend Lin at Duck and Wheel with String. In making that award, she said, “I have decided to share this award with fellow bloggers who show courage and a wicked, sometimes dark, sense of humor. I think they will find some pleasure in receiving an award named after a strong, brave woman who held her head high her whole life, all the way to the guillotine . . .”

Here are the rules for this award:
1. Please put the logo on your blog.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate at least 7 or more other blogs.
4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them.

For that wicked, sometimes dark, sense of humor and for that held high on the way to the guillotine it would have to be:

The Humor Smith — This guy is wicked funny! I suspect he is man enough to accept this award in the spirit in which it is granted.

Justine & Jill — I had to put these two sisters on the same line. They’ll probably still squabble over the order of their names. (I was tempted to link Jill’s blog to Justine’s name and vice versa.)

The image that we associate with Marie Antoinette is of a beautiful woman, refined and with impeccable taste. In that spirit, for style and elegance one blogger comes quickly to mind:

Mandy Harvey — her work and her blog speak for themselves.

Marie Antoinette was 14-years-old when she left her home in Austria to marry the crown prince of France. That takes courage. It was a few years later that the marriage was consummated. Her husband was the kind of guy who spent a lot of time “off with the boys.” More courage needed. Came the revolution and her husband, the king, was beheaded. She was separated from her children. She was falsely accused of many heinous acts, and 9 months after her husband’s death, she went to the guillotine.

Toward the end she is said to have said, “Courage! I have shown it for years; think you I shall lose it at the moment when my sufferings are to end?” For courage in their life situations these three receive the award:

Cacai — Has already received the award. This is further recognition of her courage.

Ev — You are an inspiration. Best wishes on your book project.

Clara — Quietly has her own struggles. She faces them with courage, determination and optimism.

One of these last three recently received this award from another source and confided that she was reluctant to place it on her blog. “Marie-Antoinette was unengaged, haughty and aloof” was the reason given. Out of curiosity, I did some further research into the life and time of Marie Antoinette. I came away with a different opinion.

She probably did not say, “Let them eat cake,” when told that the people had no bread to eat.

Her last words reportedly were, “Pardon me Sir, I meant not to do it,” to a man whose foot she stepped on before she was executed by guillotine. Gives you a different picture than the one that is so popularly held, doesn’t it?

As someone recently said, “It’s good to win. The winners get to write the history.” Don’t you think they demonized this woman? Keep that in mind the next time you have an unkind thought about this emperor’s daughter who left home and family at a young age and found a life that was difficult and short.

Congratulations to the winners with thanks to all of them for being part of my life.

There is no significance to the fact that today is Friday the thirteenth. Or is there?