Happy Six Years

Six years ago today, I googled "how to start a blog", and hit publish for the first time.

Hello Blogging!

Well, I've been wanting to jump. Been standing on on the edge waiting to see if I would actually dare ... So here goes! :)  I love to write.  Always have been able to express myself better with pen, paper or keyboard much better then with verbal words.  In the last 6 or 8 months I stumbled onto the world of blogging and found myself intrigued and wanting to jump in and try the water.

Now  that I've jumped I'll confess that I'm not quite sure what I expect out of or plan for this space. Basically it's just a place to share what's going on in my life, whether it's my children's funny stories, how my day went, personal struggles or a truth God is showing me. I'm finding that it's really all this common, every day ness that I'm about that is My Father's Business for me.  Sometimes i'd like to make His business for me something more flashy or dramatic but in reality it's this.  And I think by accepting "this" and viewing it for what it is can actually transform the regular into something special.

So! That's a bit of what I'm thinking and whether anyone reads or not, I think I will be bettered for having "picked up my pen" and letting my thoughts and ideas have an avenue of escape :)

Six hundred and fourty posts later, I think I would say I have been 'bettered' by blogging.

A lot has changed since that day six years ago. Back then I was mother to four - 6 months, almost 2 years, 7 years and 8 1/2 years. We were living in Arkansas and my world was just about to get rocked with the idea of moving our family to Ohio. I wonder how I would have felt had I been able to see six years into the future? Frankly, I'm glad I can't see ahead six more years!

There's more than one reason that I blog. The first is one I've written about before, the fact that I accepted the gift of writing and told God I would use it. Perhaps second to that is being able to look back and track God's hand through the years.

My mom was a writer. She loved stories and shared many of her own through countless letters and various articles. Now that she is gone, I am grateful for every recorded story and incidence I can get my hands on. I will never forget my mom but who she was and how her life shaped mine is soon lost in the passing of generations. Written words have the power to carry those details on to others.

That doesn't mean everyone should have a blog, of course. But I would encourage you to tell your stories or, better yet, write them down. It is intriguing to hear the stories of grandparents and realize what shaped my parents and how that affected my life. We learn so much from the inspirations and challenges of other people's lives. Interesting fact is, some of my most read posts are my June 'how we met' stories!

I don't know what the next six years will hold, it's probably good I don't. But I expect I'll still be here, sharing bits and pieces of it with you. As I read back through the archives, it's much easier to trace God's hand than when I was in the moment. That ability to see His trustworthiness in the past, gives me confidence I can trust Him for the future.

Happy Birthday, little blog. You have taught me many things. I have loved and hated you by turns and your presence in my life has added laughter and tears. Sometimes I wonder if I should plan for your funeral but your little, flickering flame always manages to stay lit. You have managed to weave your way into my life, opening my eyes to the stories and lessons in the everyday of my days. You have introduced me to people I would have never known otherwise; given me opportunities I never imagined six years ago when I timidly took the jump. You've grown up, little blog. I don't know what you'll look like six years from now but thank you for bettering my life.