Three!

Feeling slightly bored and random first thing this morning, I thought I’d have a look and see if that state of mind is a perennial August issue for me.
How was I feeling and what I was doing on 6th August last year?

So I discovered that it’s my birthday – or at least, my blog's birthday.

This, of course, set me thinking what I’m doing sustaining such a narcissistic exercise as a blog for 3 whole years.
After all, I’m not a great sustainer in many areas, but I seem to be intent on writing here, even when I have little to say.
In the beginning, this blog was a way of processing the countless new experiences of ministry, of thinking aloud (on the basis that I really don't know what I think until I hear what I say!) and recording some milestones too.
Then I began to make blog friends, some of them too far away to phone or visit.
I wanted to know what they were up to, what issues were concerning them, whether they’d read any good books lately – and my blog became a way of staying in touch and, as time went by, of meeting more and more wonderful new people. As the revgals webring developed, those connections became increasingly important and the delight of producing our two books gave fresh impetus to my blogging here as well.

As with preaching, I’m often surprised by the posts that draw the most comments. Sometimes I’ll present an idea that is really exciting me, only to find that nobody else even seems to notice. At others, a quick throw away reflection that I hesitate to post at all produces something quite close to a flood of comments…so I guess blogging is teaching me more about the unreliable nature of communication as well.

Would I still blog if I knew nobody was reading me?
I’m not certain.
I do journal (with a real pen on real paper, you know) though not as often as I used to in pre-blog days, and not with the same regularity that I waffle and witter here. I guess that for an extrovert a potential conversation will always be more attractive than secret thoughts whispered to the page. I definitely need to write though –it’s been part of my nature one way or another for long enough to be judged a non-negotiable fixture - so writing when there’s actually hope of a reader is a joy.
Another surprise pleasure of blogging has been the discovery that with a digital camera all sorts of things are possible. That really is sheer self indulgence,- but it’s MY blog so why not! I know the quality of both word and image is variable, - but surely the blog name gave that away from the word go.

Final thought…
I was tidying up my links recently and came across several blogs that are no more, because their owners are “too busy living life to blog it.” For me it works the opposite way. The more there is happening for me, the more I want to reflect on it…
I know that I have to be careful and remember that discretion is the better part of public blogging, particularly as I hatch from curate to priest-in-charge, when that change comes…but as long as my life continues to present me with the odd hint of God’s presence, or any even marginally engaging material, I guess I’m likely to keep on blogging it.

After all, if it weren't for the blog, I might not know you!
Thanks for reading thus far.
There’s chocolate cake over there on the table.