This month marks sixteen years since I started blogging. It’s crazy to think how long its been!
I still remember the day I created my first blog. My oldest was a baby and during one of his naptimes, I came across an article in a parenting magazine about this new thing called web-logs. People were writing online about their daily life for others to read. The article suggested a couple of free blogging sites. I selected one and published my first post.
The first couple of years, I shared photos and brief stories about my son. I documented many of his “firsts” and wrote about our daily life. My readers consisted of mostly friends and family who enjoyed the pictures I posted. Periodically, I would share about something God was teaching me. I wrote about my struggles with depression. I wrote devotional pieces. I shared parenting insights and thoughts on motherhood. The more I did so, the more people would comment and say, “that resonated with me.” In the process, I rediscovered a love of writing I had forgotten about, one I set aside to focus on school and career.
I soon got to know other bloggers and joined various blogging communities of like-minded writers. I also started writing for other blogs, then ministry websites and publications. Through consistent posting, I found my writing voice. I discovered that writing was the perfect combination of my counseling training and my love of theology.
Blogging has changed significantly since the first day I hit, “publish.” Many people I once knew through blogging have long since stopped posting on their blogs. Some have switched to “micro-blogging” on Instagram instead. People interact with me more on social media now than in the comments. I also don’t blog as often as I once did. And over the years, the topics I write about has changed as I’ve aged and moved through different seasons of life.
Despite all these changes, I still believe in blogging. I still encourage the writers I mentor to have a blog. I believe it is important for readers to have a place to find writers. Blogs are like a writer’s home where readers come to visit. A blog also provides a writer freedom to experiment, practice, and stretch in their writing. And it’s a great place to develop a topic or idea over time that might eventually grow into something bigger, like an article or book.
Anniversaries are important times to look back and see how far one has come. Of reflecting on lessons one has learned and marveling at God’s faithfulness. I can certainly testify to all the things I have learned these past sixteen years of blogging and writing. It’s amazing to consider all the experiences I’ve had, people I’ve met, and places I’ve written. I had no idea when I posted that first photo and wrote about what my son did that day in June of 2005, what the Lord would do through my blogging.
What about you? Have you ever blogged?
