Blogging - why?

March 16, 2009
Ms. Kitty posted at her blog about the joys of blogging. I started to comment there, but realized quickly that it was just too long. That was awhile ago, which tells you how busy my life is right now! But, I've been thinking a lot about blogging lately - mostly because I don't have much time to actually blog - and wondering whether it's worth the effort.

Well. There are people I correspond with who I've "met" through blogging. Other bloggers, out there in the blogosphere, sharing their thoughts on any number of topics - but mostly related to faith. There are people I know IRL, who I keep up with through their blogs. There are some bloggers I often disagree with - I rarely comment at their blogs - but they still get me thinking.

Lots of times I've blogged because I'm working out my thinking on some issue, and writing it out helps me clarify the process. A lot of this never gets into the blog. Some old "working it out" blog entries have gotten recycled into newsletter columns!

I also blog because I have come to care about many fellow bloggers through this strange medium (and sometimes strange names: Ms. Kitty, Lizard Eater, UUMomma, Byzigenous Buddhapalian...). OK, so the names are actually fun. But, I was checking LE's blog frequently during LW's illnesses... and following Maxie's adventures... It's community, and there's a real possibility that we'll all meet someday.

But there are more serious threads on other blogs. One blogging acquaintance has a relative who recently gave birth to twins, very prematurely. He's kept us updated, asking for prayers & good thoughts, as he does for other blogger friends in his regular "Heart Thread" posts. Reading such posts at his blog and others has taught me a lot about the significance of prayer for many people, and in turn, opened me up to more uses of prayer in my own work. Isn't it odd that such transformation happens via long-distance, when it can be so difficult to have the meaningful conversations face-to-face? Something else to ponder...

So, I blog "just because" - and because it's one of the things I do for myself that is (usually) fun! And because I care about the people in this blogging community.