Mommy Blogging - Birds of a Feather

If you are just joining us, I am weaving my way through my journey over the last 15 months as a Mommy blogger. This is my third installment...

So two posts ago, I left you with serendipity making an appearance. Who the? What the? Trust me, you'll understand.

When I began blogging, I was looking to tell my story, in my words, and in my way without censorship, eyerolls, or judgment. You may still do that, but I can’t see you. So we can still be friends. And, maybe, just maybe, I could provide with a laugh or two. But what happened along the way was that I have become fascinated with your words and your lives. Over the last few months that I've started reading other blogs, I have been amazed and awed and inspired by all the talented, smart, creative women I have “met” in the blogosphere.

And this is what has gobsmacked me in the face, or more appropriately, in the heart:

I have grown to genuinely care and appreciate your uniqueness and your talents and who you are as people behind those words. Whoa. Kinda weird. Hello, you live in my laptop... not supposed to care.

But, I do.

I admire how so many of you have been transparent with struggles ranging from stress, marital problems, infertility, depression, illness, loss of a child, loss of a sibling, etc. You are the world at large. Only you are pouring out your hearts to strangers and blessing so many other women who may read your words while living with the same struggles and realize they. aren’t. alone. That's it in a nutshell. We aren’t alone. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve read something one of you has written and said, "Oh my gosh, I feel the same way.” Who knew. You are women that I have been praying for even though I have never ever heard you utter a word or wouldn’t know you if we cut each other off in traffic. I find myself thinking about you during the day just as I do my real life friends. As a matter of fact, this is how one such instance played out for me this week:

Me: Standing at the kitchen island cooking thinking, hmm, I still want to paint this island so that it looks like furniture. Gee, I wonder if Sissy has posted the pictures of her kitchen island fauz glaze project. Gee, I wonder if "Sissy" is her real name? I'll just let this simmer a minute while I go check, about the project that is. Run over to the study. Click on her blog. Voila there it is. Read, comment, and then resume cooking. C-RAZY.

Then I had a good chuckle because this is someone whose life and heart I probably know better than probably most of my closest friends right now and vice versa. Why? Because we are apt to be more forthcoming and transparent behind the screen of a computer than we are face to face. Even with strangers. Especially with strangers. How freakin weird is that.

I have also realized something else this week. Something so obvious:

Birds of a feather flock together even in the blogosphere.

Think about it. Don’t you consistently read the blogs of people you would be friends with in real life? Whether it is someone’s sense of humor, or beliefs/values, or interests, or stage in life, or other non-descript quirk that I can relate to, I can say unequivocally that I feel connected to the women behind the words that I make a point of reading during my “morning rounds.” I can tell you that each of you are like one or more of my real life friends. The only difference is that you read my blog! And after reading all your comments, I'm am not alone in that area...more about that in my next installment.

I've noticed something else. I don’t gravitate to the blogs with 5000 readers because to me it is like going to a big party. I hate big parties. I'm a let’s-have-a-couple-of-people-over-for- steaks, my-homemade-cheesy-scalloped- potatoes,-strawberry-spinach-salad-and-molten-lava-chocolate-cakes- with- a-nice-bottle-of- wine-out-on-the-deck-kind-of-gal. And yes, you are invited. But that’s just me. I do read the Nester because I have been reading her blog since she had something like 10 readers.

Just about every blog I click on has something to offer. Some aren’t my cup of tea, others leave me wanting more, and others are well, you know, they’re trying. I think all of us who blog enjoy the writing aspect of it as it satisfies a creative need and is a non-threatening way to make your voice heard. But at the end of the day, the blogosphere brings all of us mommies, mommies-to-be, and mommies in waiting, who sometimes feel like we have lost ourselves in the lives of kids, jobs, and laundry, together for a brief moment or two, (or hour or three or more) with people we wouldn’t otherwise meet because of proximity. Oh sure, I have friends here that do that for me, as well. But I love getting to “know” people around the country and Canada. And I love the community of Christian women I've gotten to know. I am more bold about my faith, and my walk with the Lord in this space than I am in real life. But, I have also learned so much about the Christian life from many of you. I cannot tell you how many times I have clicked on one of your blogs and have known immediately that the Lord was sending me there for a reason as he either wanted me to be convicted of or reveal something to me. That is so humbling and exciting. No matter how much traffic you get, rest assured, when you are "doing as unto the Lord," your words are being used as Divine instruments. That is something I truly wasn't expecting when I started this whole blogging thing. God is so good isn't HE? He even uses this vehicle to further HIS kingdom in a mighty, fun, and creative way.

Now that I have established relationships with so many of you across North America, I often wonder if we met in person, would it be the same or different? Would we enjoy each other's real words as much as we enjoy each other's written words? I would like to think so. I honestly believe that all of you are sincere and genuine people as I can usually sniff out the phonies, and I don't "hang" out with them in real life or here. I'd like to think that if I were ever in Georgia, Washington, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Texas, Pennysylvania, Canada, Idaho or wherever else you are, that I could look you up and hang out. And likewise, if you were to ever visit the Nation's Capital, I'd leave the light on. Just give me fair warning so I can tidy my house, prepare a fabulous meal, and get my hair restored to it's natural color if I am in between appointments ;).

Okay, enough sap... my next installment is about "Comments and Lurkers." Speaking of which, you won't believe what happened to me this week as a result of a comment....

Meanwhile, do you think we would ruin a good thing if we actually met in person?