Apprehension and a bit of nervousness fill me as I publish my first post. Blogging has been something I’ve long agonized and prayed about participating in. Anyone who knows me knows that Adam and I are constantly on the search for a simpler, back-to-basics sort of life – more likely to end up Amish then buy a Blackberry! We tend to shun more technology rather then embrace it. I’ve felt for years that the Internet is at the forefront of the cultural downfall of the world – a giant foothold for Satan to achieve cracks into man’s soul.
So why blog?
I’ve thought about it a lot. For years I’ve told myself all the reasons why NOT to blog. Pride, time commitment, self-involvement, disconnecting from real relationships, addiction, caring about other’s validation rather then God’s redemption, self-importance, and the list could go on. I’ve read several articles – ironically, from other blogs – about the cautions of too much time in cyberspace and not enough time in real space such as here and here and here. Would I be perpetuating these concerns?
But the pull was still there and growing stronger daily. It was seeing this quote by Edith Schaeffer in The Hidden Art of Homemaking that finally put me in a place to start seriously considering it.
“Whatever form art takes, it gives outward expression to what otherwise would remain locked in the mind, unshared. One individual personality has definite or special talent for expressing, in some medium, what other personalities can hear, see, smell, feel, taste, understand, enjoy, be stimulated by, be involved in, find refreshment in, find satisfaction in, find fulfillment in, experience reality in, be agonized by, be pleased by, enter into, but which they could not produce themselves…Art in various forms expresses and gives opportunity to others to share in, and respond to, things which would otherwise remain vague, empty yearnings. Art satisfies and fulfills something in the person creating and in those responding.”
Art satisfies the person creating and the person responding. That got to me. I started thinking about what a blog is – what its function is. Of course, there are all sorts of blogs out there, some silly, some serious, some informational, some very personal. I started thinking about why I have followed the blogs I have over the years – loyally, daily even. The blog is an art form in and of itself. It tells a story, weaves a poem, laces a tapestry of history together. It is an integration of sorts for mothers out there who have very little time to pursue creative artistic talents outside the home precisely because they are at home fulfilling a vocational duty of raising Godly children. It is a way for others to share what they feel bubbling over in them, needing a platform – to reach out to others of like-mindedness who will respond to that art.
I am a responder. Following the blogs I love have inspired me, made me think, shown me beauty, fed me HIS word, encouraged and uplifted me, commiserated with me in a season of life, linked me to treasures I would not have found otherwise, increased my ideas, shared perspectives on life, broadened my community, sharpened my philosophies, and tempted me to pick up and brush off my artistic talents of writing, sketching, journaling, photography, scrapbooking, crafting, cooking, and sewing as well as allow bravery in trying out new endeavors such as composting, cloth diapering, nursing, gardening, preserving, living sustainably, and entering social justice through voting and political action.
Again, Edith Schaeffer says, “It is not a waste of man’s time to be creative. It is not a waste to pursue artistic or scientific pursuits in creativity, because this is what man was made to be able to do. He was made in the image of a Creator, and given the capacity to create…man has the capacity both for responding and producing, for communicating as well as being inspired. It is important to respond to the art of others, as well as to produce art oneself. It is important to inspire others to be creative as well as to communicate by one’s own creative acts.”
This is why the pull gains strength. I long to give back. I long to participate in this art form. Responding to it has created a yearning, a true desire, to create also. And so I shall.
And what shall this blog contain? First and foremost, a record of my homeschooling journey – the good and the bad. I would also like to share ideas and information with other new homeschooling moms or others who are new to blogs in general. It is a place for me to share my love of photography – a place where no one will think it weird to show a picture of a bar of soap or a shelf of books. Yes, people really want to see that! I know I have! It is a place for me to marry my journaling, documenting, writing, spiritual ponderings, poetry, ideas, and quotes from greater thinkers than I. It is a place for my family and friends to share with me, eliminating the need for mass emails (Thank you dear sisters – blood and Second Cup gals – for inspiring that!).
And, with all that said, on to the posting! May I humbly throw my hat into the ring of inspiring response in others.
simply necessary 