Sense of Community
Marlene Buffington
Editor

The holiday season is upon us. Where has the year gone? So many changes have happened in our community over the last year. We've gained so many new friends, we've seen our long time friends growth take them to new heights and we've shared all this excitement right here on CDHM.

As many of you know, some years ago, I started a chat group on ebay simply to bring together both artist and collector to talk about our common interest, miniatures. Today, we are 2000+ strong and our community feels like a second home; we have evolved into a group of friends. Though this isn't just a chat group any longer, we remain foremost about friendships, some new, some old, but constantly evolving and growing. Today, our Forums that we share provide a place in cyberspace that is a respite for shared life experiences while enjoying our common passions, miniatures.

With the evolution of the CDHM Galleries, we've once again ventured into an area that is new and challenging. We have seen new possibilities come our way for members. In the years to come, the internet will continue to grow and expand our art. With the newer generations that rely so heavily on the internet, they will be looking for ways to buy & sell their arts without having to travel great distances or spend extra money on the traditional venues that many of us have experienced in the past. The internet is the new frontier for the arts. We are already seeing new and exciting trends develop, so can you invision the possibilities in years to come? Thankfully, CDHM is on the cutting edge for such a ride and you are CDHM! Someday we'll all look back to these days and wonder how we all managed. We can look back twenty years ago and we pause in disbelief that even were able to sell our wares, much less ponder the ways of the internet.

It has been my great joy to meet so many of you over the years. I've seen heartfelt generosity in our community that amazes me even today. Members of CDHM are the most generous, caring group of people anywhere in the world; and it is the world, from North America to South America to Africa to Europe to Australia to Asia, we have all the continents. We come together from many countries, many traditions and many languages. In a world that has become so hard and cynical, to be able to come into our small corner of cyberspace and find common ground and express the happiness or woes of the day is remarkable. What I've discovered through all of you is that the greatest gift is not found in a store or under a tree, but in the true friendships that we've made. I want to thank each and every one one of you for these friendships. Maybe we need to talk to the U.N. and suggest that miniaturists' need to run the world, I think it would be a much happier place.

In this season, with such great talent in our community, I encourage you to remember those that might not have as much as we do. There was a book some years back, "Pay It Forward". What a wonderful concept to remember that one simple act of kindness can create a powerful, positive ripple effect that can touch untold numbers of lives.

Happy Holidays to you and yours! Keep it safe and keep making, creating and dreaming!