One Year Later

It’s September 24^th and I have officially been a blogger for one year.  As defined by the Urban Dictionary this would make today my blogiversary.  Anniversaries make great days for looking back so I’m doing some reflecting. Having a blog has been an interesting and unexpected adventure, both fulfilling and frustrating, demanding and delightful, a place to reveal new ideas and record past inspirations. At this one year point, all things considered, it’s a venture I’m glad I pursued.

My sister-in-law was the first to mention blogging to me.  As the only female in the family who was not on Facebook, my nieces were predicting I would finally cave and create a profile.  My sister-in-law wasn’t so sure.  She knows me quite well.  She thought I’d be a better candidate for a blog than a Facebook page, but neither one interested me.  Honestly, I didn’t know much about blogging until she gave me Tara Frey’s book, Blogging for Bliss.  The more I read the more intrigued I became.

Maybe it was the term “web publishing” that finally got me.  You see I’ve always been in love with books, reading, and writing.  I majored in English at Florida State and always thought I would eventually write a book, but life took a different direction.  Since those distant college years I have become a Christian, gotten married, had children, moved to New York, taught school at home and the Bible at church, kept the books for our business, and more recently have adjusted to an empty nest, set up part-time residence back in Florida, done a bit of traveling…and those are just the highlights.  Truly, a lot of things happened over the years, but writing wasn’t one of them.  However, with the kids grown and fewer demands on my time, I began to revisit some of my interests, and once again, writing came back into view.  Thus, with the encouragement of that sister-in-law, the inspiration from that blog book, and lots of help from blogging expert, Robb Sutton, my son’s blog guy, I began.

Interestingly, blogging has been an unexpected catalyst for self-discovery.  From the time I began considering a blog, I had to analyze my interests to determine its focus.  I actually made my decision from the very process of writing. The warm, summer afternoon that I sat outside with my computer, closed my eyes and began to draft what eventually became my “about” page, I realized what that focus would be.  The book of Luke records that “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”. My tongue was the pen of a ready writer and what flowed out was my acknowledgment of and gratefulness to God.  I had spent the last 35 years getting to know Him, discovering liberating truths revealed in His Word.  What else could I talk about?  The veteran bloggers had said to “blog what you know”.  This was what I knew.  This was Who I knew.  And beginning with that realization, and now, as a result of a year’s worth of blogging, with increasing clarity, I know myself.

A heartfelt thanks to all who have supported me and have visited My Word Study over the past year.