every so often, I find myself wanting to evaluate
all the different things that I invest time into. And blogging happens to be
one of those things. I feel like I have taken a bit of a blogging sabbatical
over the last few weeks and months…somewhat due to the readjustment period that
takes place with a new baby in the home, and largely due to the fact that I
didn’t have access to a computer for the majority of that time. And let’s be
honest, I don’t think I will ever be able to blog on my phone! ;)
Having the forced time off, allowed me to really step back
and look at the place blogging has in my life...and even to identify the genre of blogging that i feel i fall into.
the answers actually hit me
one late afternoon. everyone was up from their naps and those few crazy hours
before bedtime were in full swing. dinner needed to be prepped and made, all
four of my kiddos were needing my attention in some form or fashion, baths for
two were already in the works as they just walked in all muddy from playing
outside…multitasking is the name of the game these days! (I’m pretty sure at one point I
was nursing Ellis in the sling, while giving baths, and running back and forth to
check on dinner.)
I have whole-heartedly embraced the “fullness” that this
season of life brings...and on this particular day, in the midst of all the
chaos, I found myself lost in my own dreamy thoughts about each of my kids. I was
planning on doing one of my “portraits” posts later that night, so I began to
pinpoint something about each of my kids that I wanted to record.
something I
wanted to savor and be able to look back on for years to come.
something that
would trigger the sweetest of memories, causing emotion and remembrance to come
flooding back to me.
and that is when it hit me, I don’t only love to record and think
on these things as something for the future…they are just as much for me now,
in this present season.
a form of “stopping to smell the flowers.”
instead of dwelling on that feeling of drowning that seems
to creep in from time to time (because even though dinner was being made, my
baby was being held close and fed, and my boys were getting clean, there was a
sink full of dishes, a playroom that looked like the Tasmanian devil had come
to play, and I’m pretty sure not one bed had been made for the day. ha.), I found myself focusing on all of the good.
thinking about and
identifying what I wanted to remember for years to come, was my own way of
stopping amidst the grind of daily life and “smelling the flowers.”
a life
saving practice for me in this season.
not only is blogging my own little way of capturing
memories for years to come, but it is a practice that encourages me to pause in
my present and highlight the joys, the hope, the overflowing love that surrounds
me every moment of every day.
to carve out windows of gratitude. moments of honoring the lives and growth of the people dearest to my heart.
I blogged privately for two full years before
delving into the whole “public” blog realm. I talk about making the switch a
little over here. making the switch for me wasn’t about growing a big blog to
make money, or gain recognition, or have a lot of followers ;) … although there
is definitely nothing wrong with those being reasons to blog!…they just simply
weren’t and aren’t mine.
I want to hold onto the reasons blogging is still good
for me and finding a place in my life…making that switch from a private blog,
was simply done with the hope and willingness that something I write or share,
may encourage another…that it may bring joy or hope into someone’s day…that
they too may choose as often as possible, to stop and smell the roses.
so simply put, I am a memory blogger through and through.
if
something makes its way onto these pages, it is because there is a nugget
there that brings joy and hope to my life in the present...and that I want to remember in the days to come.
whether that is simply
pictures, a recipe we currently enjoy, or a heart-felt post about my babies…it is
all done with the intent of remembering.
remembering so that i might constantly rejoice in the goodness of my God.
I sincerely wish we could be real life friends, so much of what you share contains common threads to what I am mulling over in my own heart... i just wrote for the whole month of October on "being present in the moment" and what a life saving gift it is for me, to not carry the worries of tomorrow, to listen for the voice of the Lord in the right here and right now, to be grateful for what I have and pause to enjoy the good that is all around me. I love your comparison to "stopping and smelling the roses." so good. all that to say, you are definitely accomplishing your goal of encouraging others. Blessings to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I stumbled upon this post tonight because it reflects what I've been thinking about all day.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the inspiration, Katie :)