Hazelnut Reflections

upcoming blogiversary

On July 28th it will be one year since I set up this blog. I'm trying to remember what prompted me to set it up. I saw the ministry my friend Mike had through his blog, and read a few of the blogs of other Wash U. students involved in campus ministry. I saw the burgeoning world of crochet and knitting blogs. I suspect I was just curious to see what would happen, would I be able to maintain the discipline of writing regularly? Would I find a community of bloggers? Would anybody bother to read it?

Then, having blogged for awhile, I started to wonder why there wasn't a ring for blogging Episcopalians the way there were for all of those fiber artists. And it dawned on me that if there wasn't one, and I was thinking about it regularly, that maybe God was prodding me to do something about it. So thanks to the aforementioned
Mike at a Christmas party for agreeing to be part of the original two or three gathered together, we are up and running and over 125 blogs strong after seven months.

Two things have surprised me, that I wasn't expecting. There's such a community among bloggers, and it's not just virtual, it affects one's "real" life as well. When I posted we were moving to Oklahoma, I discovered I alreay knew Episcopalians in our new home, and have had the pleasure of meeting two of them already (Barbara and Monk-in-Training. Annie of Musing Mysteries, we still have to get together one of these days.

I also love being able to stay in touch with people I know in person but don't get to see very often: Beth, Lydia,Beth, and of course Mike. (I'm sure I'm forgetting people so forgive me). And I'm able to get to know some people better who I've only met in passing or through blogging, most of whom are listed in my sidebar.

The other thing I was surprised was how many people don't get it and get worked up about bloggers. Mike led a discussion about generational issues at last year's Congregational Development class and introduced the group to blogging by having them read blogs of some of the Wash. U. students. The baby boomers and up had some very strong comments "I don't get why those peopledo it" etc. The words "they" and "them" came up so often I finally came out of the closet to explain why I kept a blog.

Hopes for the next year? Always to improve my own writing skills. To build more community, perhaps by actual gatherings--should the Blogging Episcopalians get together at General Convention? Could we do it without rancor and discord? I hope to meet more of the RevGalBlogPals in person someday. I'm planning to post my own faith story, perhaps in the next week or so.

My world has been expanded by blogging, so I'll just have to hope that's the movement of the Holy Spirit.

posted by Emily @ 8:22 AM