I never quite know what to do with this blog.

It was never my intent to start blogging when I sat down at my ancient computer 11 &1/2 years ago and typed out some encouragement to share with a few moms I knew.

Isn’t that a hoot? I love looking back at that first newsletter sometimes 🙂 I mailed it out to a few friends and handed it out to a few more. A few months before that I had started inviting moms into my home once a week, then moved the gathering over to the church when the extensive home renos started.

I’m not sure what I was hoping for back in the fall of 2006. The original vision was Connect, Encourage, Support. I think that’s still where I’m at, all these years later, simply wanting to connect with others myself and also connect others together, encourage hearts with words & ideas as God grants them to me, and offer support in figuring out this whole wife/mother/faith journey.

Back in 2006 a friend suggested a blog instead of a newsletter, or to add to the newsletter. I honestly didn’t even know what a blog was at first. I had a huge learning curve ahead of me 🙂 This blog became an extension of the monthly newsletter and a greater opportunity to share life. All the writing for the newsletter and blog gave me confidence to start putting together the books I’d always wanted to write. Rejection letters from publishers pushed me to learn how to self-publish. And a publishing budget of $0 pushed me to learn about book cover design.

And here we are 🙂

I’ve tried it all in this blog – recipes, DIY, finances, writing about my boys, writing about my hubby, writing about faith, writing about simple living, writing about enjoying the moments of life, sharing book projects and personal goals and deep thoughts.

In this year of Know I wonder about this blog.

What will I share as I listen for the whispers?

How can I connect with you, encourage you, and support you in simply live-ing and seeing the possibilities in the moments of your days?

The honest truth, the honest answer is this…

All I Know how to do is share my own journey and hope it speaks to yours somehow.

That first newsletter 11 &1/2 years ago started as a whisper in my heart. I feel like it got very loud very quickly. Eventually I had to let go to find some peace again. Most of the books started as whispers. The loudness came when I tried to make it my all. I learned the hard way, over and over for the past decade, that writing can only happen in my life if it lives in balance with everything else God has granted me to do.

This is great for me to Know. 

I could easily hole up for months on end and just write and write and write. But that luxury is not mine to live. And so I focus on the luxurious life I do live. The blessed life.

We can all find the luxury and blessings in our lives if we simply look.

And listen.

I think that’s what I’ll be sharing here in the coming weeks/months.

Again, always, back to the simple things.

And writing about them for you.

And me.

I’m blessed by writing.

I hope you are blessed by reading.

🙂