So here I sit, with you…all of you readers…on my mind.
I am wondering who you are, what makes you tick, and what makes you want to stick around to hear what I have to say.
I am wondering what I can possibly say that will uplift you and give you perspective.
In my mind, I see you trying to do the very best you can, but still feeling overwhelmed and unsure at times.
I see you holding your little ones close while you worry about how you can possibly teach them all that they need to know.
I see you loving and serving those around you, and sometimes forgetting about your own needs in the process.
I see you on the front lines in your schools, churches, and communities, doing what you can to be a force for good.
I see you trying to get the most out of your life by minimizing distractions and focusing on what really matters.
The thought of you inspires me.
There are times when I wonder if what I am doing here makes a difference at all – if it is worth the time, the effort, and the vulnerability that it requires for me to put so much of myself out there for the world to judge.
But, then I get an email like this one:
As I read through your blogs today, your words filled me with so much hope, as I am struggling and feel completely hopeless with my two and a half year old strong-willed daughter. I cried a lot this last week and feel as though she hates me, doesn’t care about anything I say and gets extreme joy from throwing tantrums in public several times a day for what feels like no reason at all. I am encouraged to know that this, too, shall pass, and to hear the wonderful words of wisdom from a much wiser mother. Thank you and keep doing what you are doing.
Or this one:
My children are all grown up now, but I wish I would have had someone like you to encourage me.
Then I think back to the days when I wanted nothing more than to know that I was not alone in my struggles. I think about how much I have learned since then, and how I wish I could go back in time and teach my younger self all of the things that it has taken me years to fully understand.
I then wonder how I can even think about walking away from this place where my words have the potential to offer hope and encouragement to someone, like the younger version of myself, who may be struggling with the same things that I have muddled through and overcome in the fire of difficult experience.
That hope is what keeps me going.
I know that I am no expert. I am constantly making more than my share of mistakes. But I believe in the things that I share with you. If I didn’t, I would have given up on the world of blogging long ago.
This is a small community. I don’t get much traffic, and few people know my name. But I am OK with that, because what I write is not meant for the masses. It is meant for you…individually.
While I do not know most of you personally, I am grateful that you think enough of me to read my words. While you may not agree with everything that I say, I hope that you occasionally find something here that speaks to your heart and offers you some measure of hope, perspective, or light.
If I can somehow help even one of you, it will all be worth it.
That, my friends, is why I write.
