Other Voices & Slowing Down

I've been noticing a lot of disillusionment with blogging lately among some of my favorite writers. Not so much the creative blogs (photography, food, crafting, etc), but rather the personal ones. The mommy blogs, the spiritual journey blogs, the emerging church blogs (among others)---these are the bloggers that are opening up there hearts and making themselves vulnerable by being honest about their feelings and opinions. 

And honestly, I've been feeling a little disillusioned myself. As encouraging as this blog is to me as an outlet for my thoughts and a door to connection with others...it can also get so discouraging. Criticism can feel like rejection, you risk writing for an audience rather than for yourself, or you can feel like you should or shouldn't be writing about certain things finding that you are being less open than you set out to be. After all, it's not a journal, other people do read it. And that is a funny little contradiction isn't it? It's an outlet for me---but I knowingly make it public because of the connection that creates with other people.

A tension seems to come up on a regular basis between wanting it to be private (quitting, making it truly personal, not opening myself to the possibility of getting hurt) and the fact that it has created a connection with others that has become very meaningful, sparked valuable conversations and maybe even inspired someone else now and then.

So. *deep breath* To get back to the heart of why I write, to the heart of honest thought and creating connections with others...I am going to be surrendering my blog to some other voices very soon. I'd like to bring some other perspectives to the conversation and to be honest, I also just want a breather because I need to refocus and to remember why I do this.

This doesn't mean I'm going to be silent or stop writing, but I want to slow down a bit. I want to be inspired again. I want to be inspired by other writers and I want to write my posts for the right reasons and not let worry become the filter for my thoughts. I just want to take time to breath and remember why honesty is so important to me and why connection matters for us all.

So if you notice a shift, a slowing, or wonder why there are suddenly other voices on the blog---that is why. Thank you all for sharing my heart and reading my thoughts.

Blog Comments, Etc.

(This is me at my desk at work "where the magic happens")

I've gotten some good feedback and had some great conversations with friends and strangers who read this blog. I get e-mails and comments on Facebook (mostly from people who are not officially following) which is always such an encouragement. Friends I had no idea read my blog sometimes bring it up in my day to day conversations and I love that.

This blog has always been an outlet for my thoughts and my urge to write.  The fact that I'm often writing not only for myself, but also for others (or knowing that others are going to be reading my thoughts rather), pushes me to put more thought and time into my words.

So I guess that I'm trying to say is...Thank you for reading. It means more than you know.

Up until today, comments were never enabled on my blog. It was a choice I made months ago for simplicity sake. Don't get me wrong, I love feedback (as mentioned above), but this blog started out as more of a journal than anything, a way to document my growth and sort out my world. I didn't want to get wrapped up in "comments." I didn't want to be discouraged when people didn't comment, or worse, hurt by what people were commenting. There is something about putting your thoughts and feelings out there publicly that is a vulnerable thing.

But alas, enough people have complained about not being able to figure out how to comment that I've decided to enable commenting.

Thanks for reading and responding. It means the world to me and I hope you will continue to do so whether by leaving comments, or talking with me personally via e-mail or in person.

Comment away...

When Love Takes You In

Please pray for Shane & Summer of When Love Takes You In  as they take the trip to Ethiopia next week to (hopefully!) pick up their new sons.

They have a pretty incredible story full of lots of changes to their plans and reliance on Gods bigger plan. Check out their blog to read more about the journey and pray that they get to bring their sons home soon!

Blog Finds

I've come across a few blogs lately that I think are worth passing along. So if you are looking for new reads, check these out:

Autism as a Whole

http://www.autismasawhole.com/

If you are at all effected by or interested in Autism, this may be a good blog for you. I was taken aback when I found out that this mom is a single mother of four, one of which is Autistic. To say I am impressed is an understatement. Having an Autistic child is challenging...to put it lightly. To do it alone, is even more so. But add supporting an entire family and raising three additional kids all on your own...she's a super mom, that's all I can say. 

A Pretty Penny

http://aprettypennyblog.com/

This is a style blog, and becoming one of my favorites. She's cute, endearing and I like her style. :)

Tips on Triplets

http://tipsontriplets.wordpress.com/

The story here is sad. This is a daddy blogger who started a blog when he found out his wife was pregnant with triplet boys (naturally I might add). A few months later they lost the babies after they were born prematurely. He's still blogging, and it is both tragic and inspiring.

Moments with Love

http://momentswithlove.blogspot.com/

I love adoption blogs. And I love big families. 

This family currently has 5 kids under the age of 7 and are working on adopting 2 more. I believe they have 4 girls of their own, 1 adopted boy and are working on adding two more boys to the family.

And speaking of adoption. A couple I am connected to in real life are on an adoption journey to adopt two brothers from Ethiopia and you can read about their story here:

When Love Takes You In
http://growininourhearts.blogspot.com/

Five Finds for Friday

I've been posting a lot of lengthy serious posts lately, so in the spirit of simplicity I'd like to "simply" share a few of my most recent "finds" aka new discoveries that I find awesome. :)

Newest Blog Find

Simply Vintage Girl

Faith. Photography. Vintage. Handmade. Recipes.

Lots of my favorite things and an incredible layout.

Crafts

Page Corner Bookmarks.

*Chomp*

Design/Decor

In home library with "reading nook"

(Though, I'd settle for an oversized chair)

Style

Hair Envy.

Hmm...Mermaid Hair.

Food/Recipe

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

.....yum!

She Breathes Deeply.

If you've ever read a book like A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken or The Giver by Lois Lowry and got something out of them, then you probably believe that a boring, safe, emotionless life does not reflect the beauty of a messy, imperfect, sometimes risky one.

It's the highs and the lows that make life so extraordinary.

It would be easy to distort my meaning here and confuse a complex and rich life with a complicated and dramatic one. I often meet people who expect their lives to play out like a movie or book. Because of this expectation they set out to complicate their lives. They create the drama. When there isn't something very exciting or dangerous, adventurous or difficult going on in their lives, they get antsy.

Have you met these individuals? The girl who picks a fight with her boyfriend because she's bored with him, the guy who runs away from commitment because he's scared his life will end when he says "I Do," or the parent who jumps head first into a midlife crisis that includes a new religion, new body, and new car because they can't handle the quiet of their childless home or the failures of unclaimed ambitions.

When things aren't exactly how they imagined they would be, they sink into depression. When things are going well, they're bored. Simplicity is anything but a virtue and I fear in the end that they'll only ever find disappointment in the quiet. If you live your life in this way, I think you will find it very difficult to find contentment.

The point of the stories (one true and one fiction) mentioned above, is that--were we to live in a controlled world without decision or emotion, we'd lose the richness of life. We'd be safe, and we might not feel pain, but life would lose it's depth and purpose. Both of these stories are filled with a lot of pain, there is no doubt about that. But neither harbor an ounce of regret or any desire to give up the joy that would also disappear were they to erase the pain.

I'll admit, there was a point in my life when I'd experienced so much pain that numb felt really nice. Feeling nothing at all was altogether preferable to the pain I woke up with everyday. And for awhile, I relished in feeling nothing at all. But, I knew I wanted more than that out of life.

Life is messy because we are all imperfect. Life is difficult because we are all different. Life is beautiful because we can be redeemed.

We are selfish, unique, imperfect people all trying to live in the same world together. But it is in this life that we learn sympathy, perspective, beauty, love, discipline, and sacrifice. The risk comes in when we become willing to give up our happiness for the sake of others or for the sake of our calling to serve a Savior. Life isn't just about the pursuit of happiness, it's also about the pain of growth, and the willingness to sacrifice. The adventure is in the beauty all around us, even in the peaceful "boring" monotonous moments. It's in the faces of your enemies and neighbors, it's in the mountains and in the steel office building.

The goal is to experience life--tragedies, celebrations, and all--with contentment and purpose.

*Artwork care of www.shebreathesdeeply.com whose blog inspired this post.