True Friends

Last week marked both two years of blogging for me, and also my ten thousandth visit on my counter (and these do not include mine!). If you had told me two years ago when I started blogging that I would get ten thousand visits EVER, I would have laughed at you. Of course I also never dreamed I would visit so many other blogs and learn so much about life from the perspectives of others. It's been wonderful.

I thought I would go back and see what I was thinking when I first started my blog. Here is what I found:

This blogging phenomenon is a new thing to me. I've recently discovered several very engaging blogs that have helped me discover far more than I ever knew before about some people in my life. I'm not so good at small talk, so this is all very intriguing to me. I never really thought about doing my own, until one day I was commenting profusely on a friend's blog, and was sure I heard a voice coming back saying, "Hey, get your own blog!" The actual response was quite gracious, but still... The other thing is that my father-in-law has always told me I should write a book. Quite frankly, I'm sort of the sum total of all the books I've read, so who needs mine? But just maybe if I share the the turns my journey is taking, someone will be encouraged along the way. I can only hope so. So here's to the world of blogging to get us beneath the surface. And thanks to anyone kind enough to read and help me process!

"...And thanks to anyone kind enough to help me process." This is what a True Friend does. She (or he) holds up a mirror, often of words, and helps you look into it and see the truth of your situation. Her first reaction is not to jump to your defense, condemn your critic or wage war on your enemy. She simply speaks the truth in love, so that you will be encouraged and empowered to see proper perspectives, make right choices, mend broken relationships and be an agent of growth or healing.

God has sent more True Friends to my world through blogging than I could name (though I'm so tempted to try!), to add to those who have been here all along.  I am abundantly blessed, and have grown and been sharpened because of you.  Thanks so much to each of you, for making my life richer.