My goodness. Five whole years and so many changes. I just spent close to an hour scrolling through this blog, reviewing and remembering, reading and recalling. I had forgotten about so much I had posted and written here. Which made me so glad I wrote and posted. One of the main reasons I'm glad is because in the years since I stopped blogging, I lost the entire file structure of my photos, and along with it, a lot of my photos. I was devastated. So much that I haven't even made the attempt to recover and reorganize them. It makes me physically sick to think about. Probably should get on that. My purpose in opening up the blog today, in fact, was to find a baby picture of Zach for a Primary leader. My computer wouldn't read the disc of his professional baby pictures, so I prayed that I had SOMETHING here. I did. Thank heavens.
As I read, my heart was touched (is that vanity or what to be touched by your own writing?!). I was amazed by my own wisdom, gratitude, and optimism. How is it that we forget the golden nuggets we learn along the way and have to be reminded by our own memories that we were once strong, and, if we aren't currently, we can be strong again.
I have missed writing. I have missed this outlet. I love to write. Always have. I love to write poetry, I love to journal. I love to look for metaphors and meaning. I love language. I love how words can capture a memory and inspire hope. I love to read the works of those who have mastered words, who can paint pictures with words. I love to read stories, real and fictional. I love to learn about places near and far and gain insight into the thoughts and feelings of others. So much can be done with words. I have needed a place for my words these past few years. I got too busy to express myself through words. It's a busy season, having young children. In many ways, it has only gotten busier. But I'd like to think I've gotten wiser in that time, also. Recently I've started weeding things out of life that don't fill me up. I've pulled way back from social media. I spend less time watching TV and especially the news. I listen to more audio books instead of news radio or the redundant music on the radio. I have dived into the scriptures in a way I haven't in a long, long time. And it has all lifted me up. I feel more filled.
Stepping back from social media has left me without a place to document our lives, however, and as I read through old posts on here, I realized the immense value of not only sharing photos, but also sharing the stories behind the photos.
So I may need to resurrect this space and share again. Mostly just for me. So I can find the pictures I need. So I can remind myself of times I've been strong. So I can dump thoughts and insights. For the sake of writing alone.
