I know I’ve asked the question many times. As I scroll through my Facebook Newsfeed or get e-mailed links from friends, I always find myself wondering, “What on earth inspired this person to invest time writing about their life in a blog?” And I’m sure you might have that same question for me.
I’m so glad you asked. Let me see if I can help.
1) I have documented my life “accidentally” over the last eight years through these things I called “update e-mails” from wherever I happened to be in the world. Apparently they were quite amusing to my immediate family who began sharing them with extended family. I included a few friends who then included a few more friends. You get the idea. Eventually, these “update emails” were reaching well over 100 inboxes each time I hit “send.” Keeping track of all these folks became a chore.
2) Multiple people from both my personal and professional spheres of influence have asked if I have a book out or plan to write one. This is seemingly a bit presumptuous on their part since I’ve stuck to writing short pieces for the entirety of my writing “career.” However, it got me thinking. These people really want some substance. They want to see more and to be quite frank, I love writing so why not invest time into an activity I thoroughly enjoy and bless others in the meantime?
3) God explained that this blog wouldn’t be about me, but about HIM. Now, I’m sure this may have at least a few folks confused. If you know me, you know I don’t necessarily like the spotlight. I love being behind the scenes, doing the stuff people forget about or have no idea even must be done to get a final product. Blogging to me somehow sounded like I was forcefully pushing the importance of my life or my agenda on the hearts of my readers. I’m sure in some situations, this is most certainly the case, but that’s not the goal for me…which leads to my fourth and final reason for blogging:
4) Honoring the many people in my life who have changed it forever or who’s story is one that needs to be publicly shared for the benefit of many. As most of you know, I served overseas as a nurse at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center as well as in an austere part of Afghanistan during the height of Operation Enduring Freedom. The people who have fought and continue to fight for our freedom each and every day deserve well more than a blog post, but if that’s what it takes to provide even a glimpse of bigger perspective, then I’ll continue to write.
I look forward to continuing this blogging journey with you and getting to share some extraordinary stories of heroism and sacrifice, perseverance and strength, as well as some perspective I’ve gained over time.
Be on the lookout for my next post where I share the article that inspired “Eyes To See!”