FIVE REASONS WHY I BLOG...

Rachel, at Heart of Rachel, wants to know why we blog. She has listed five of her reasons and has asked us to list ours. If you decide you make a list, please let her know here. Here are my top five reasons:

1. I started out blogging as a way of working through my loss. My son-in-law died. He was only fourteen years younger than I but in many ways I loved him as my own son. He had become addicted to Vicodin due to a couple of hip replacements. He was also an alcoholic. But he had more love inside of him than most human beings you'll ever meet on this earth. We watched him die that night and I wasn't able to give up my grief.

2. I had become lost inside myself before Doug died. I viewed blogging as a tool to find my way home. I have separated the blogs into two parts: this one and http://echoes-in-the-night.blogspot.com for the dark places I go sometime for the hard work.

3. I blog to connect with people. I have a horrible habit of separating, removing myself from people, which is not healthy. Now that I'm not working, it's important that I find a connection with the human species because I'm talking out loud to my dogs, a lot...

4. I love the exchange of ideas and opinions! I read blogs of all types and enjoy the diversity and of reading about people's lives in different countries. I doubt that I'll ever be able to travel outside of the US, so reading about Wales, England, the Philippines and other places I'd love to go, is fascinating to me. It's a lot better than the pen pals we used to have in high school. I wrote to a girl in the Netherlands, and back then - the dark ages - it took forever to receive a letter. Now, I can see photos of Rachel's son and husband, her beautiful Chinese New Year's celebration immediately! What a treat!

5. This is hard because there are so many reasons...I think growing as an individual is important but as I shared in my "Blog Blessings" post, the community is so inspirational! One of the most interesting men in the blogosphere has been diagnosed with cancer and has been very upfront with letting all of us know of his fears and thoughts on the subject. It's an exceedingly brave thing to do and it's been very meaningful to me. Just reading the caring responses of people to his plight is moving. His wife and daughters become more than figures on an anonymous blog - they become people you care about. His surgery date gets posted on the calendar so you can remember to pray for him. Blogging becomes a personal thing.

You enter into a community and find yourself caring again, lifting up and out of yourself, where your own troubles lie and you become a part of the human community where you share someones fortieth and 62nd birthday. You read words that belong in novels. You read of children who have passed and parents who continue on. You celebrate red letter days and days that bring sorrow and tears to your eyes. You read of men on active duty, behind the lines wishing they could be home. You read of over-comers, those who have suffered deeply but are going to make it to the goal. You read poetry from men who didn't know they had it in them and are surprised they do. You read of others, like you, who suffer from depression and you don't feel alone. You read of a husband and wife who love each other so much that she cries while reading his Valentine to her that she shares with us.

I could go on and on but I won't. Am I passionate about this? You bet! But I don't enter into things lightly...

~~~Blessings~~~