This blog began as a place to share with loved ones a piece of my life as it happened in a village in West Africa every summer. It became a year-round blog after my final summer in village when I decided that taking time to write about life was a good practice. It was good because it forced me to see my daily happenings in a good light – to see my coffee shops and research and writing as the beautiful things of my daily living.
Recently I have struggled with the question of what to share in this space and what boundaries I should or should not keep. On other people’s websites I enjoy reading humorous and deep anecdotes of friends and strangers alike. I become lost in thought and I laugh out loud. But this provides no insight into what I do here, and so I take this site one step at a time.
Thus far, each step of this blog has added a piece of what finds its way through my mind on a regular basis. Several things that I have recently been encouraged in will be finding their way onto this space in various shapes and forms in the near future. The first of these is photography, a continual side hobby of mine. Some of my favorite images captured on digital will make their way to the new page I have added. Maybe someday this will become something more.
Beyond my photos, I will be adding two blog categories: memories and spirituality. How often am I sent back through time to my childhood as I prepare for a camping trip, smell certain foods, prepare to travel, or have one ‘too’ many staying at my house? I love the rich images, smells, and locations these bring through my mind in an instant. Maybe you have seen my eyes daze off as my mind wanders–these will be some of the cause of that.
Just as memories slip through my mind, so do thoughts on spirituality that start in a wide array of places: magazine articles, books, the Bible, sermons, conversations, and people’s actions. Sometimes they are clear, cohesive thoughts, and sometimes they are scattered and disjointed. Often there is a continual growing of thoughts as patterns emerge and ideas become stronger and more formed over time. Rarely is anything conclusive, awe-inspiring, or life-altering. But, they are a piece of my journey.
If you are sarcastically wondering when I will get around to these things, time will tell. I plan to return to the practice of writing at least once week as the practice of recorded reflection is good, and one I have missed. I hope that you enjoy these additions and I that they spark thought and conversation with you.
Tags: blog
