Belated Blogiversary to Me

On New Year's Eve, it was seven years. Seven is a number of completion, in the Bible, isn't it?

Guess I need to either wrap it up, or keep at it for another seven!

It's been harder and harder to find time for writing. Seven years ago, the critical mass of our family was still at home, and barely into the teenage years. (Our oldest was nearly fifteen, but concerned more with Legos and sci-fi than any typical teenage interests.) Our chicks were mostly in the nest and under our wings; two weren't even school-age yet. I could count on some time in the evenings after they went to bed; we had a good routine, and I knew what I was doing, more or less. It was a good time to begin blogging.

Today, four of our kids are 13 or older, and for their privacy, I can't blog much about them or the challenging parenting transition to teenage issues, episodes and crises which has consumed an awful lot of my attention in recent years. Half our kids are now driving, have jobs and classes outside our home, and stay up later than I do. It's hard to keep track of everyone's schedules, let alone establish routines. We are in a bigger, less cozy house in a community in which we have fewer and newer roots. Our family feels scattered and unfocused compared to seven years ago.

And yet, 2012 felt like the year of maybe getting my feet underneath me once again. I'm actually finding moments to breathe and think about being proactive and intentional, after years of feeling I could only react to the crisis of the week, whether it was figuring out schools or doctors, or buying a car or adding another driver to our insurance, or dealing with an engagement (or a broken engagement), or choosing a college--or paying for college. We've had so many new things to sort out, but finally, it doesn't seem like a huge new thing every time I turn around. Knock on wood!

So I think I will keep blogging, and maybe even find a little more to say in 2013. I am tremendously thankful for you readers out there. It encourages me so much to hear that someone is blessed by words I put together. My purposes for blogging are many, including keeping a family diary, if you will, but I am also inspired by the desire to encourage others, by faithfully telling my story and how God continually meets me, even in the messiness and struggle of life.

If you like, celebrate this anniversary with me by leaving me a comment! I'd love to hear who you are, where you are from, and anything else you'd like me to know. It's always so nice to hear from you!