This month marks a year since I began regularly blogging. It’s taken a while, but after trial and error, I think I’ve figured out my little space in the big world of blogging.

I write because it’s therapeutic for me. Writing about my experiences helps me figure out what it is God’s teaching me and where He’s leading me.

I write because I hope someone else can identify with the joys, struggles, and questions I experience. I usually learn things the hard way, and if one sentence out of a multitude of blog posts helps someone choose a different path than I have, it’s worth every word. And if someone has chosen the hard way of doing things, then I hope the peace and joy I’ve found in God’s grace helps to direct them to Him.

I write because this little space of mine is one of the very few places I can paint, splatter and repaint the words and thoughts that drift through my heart and mind. In a verbal situation, I often keep my thoughts/opinions/beliefs to myself. But here is where I find release.

Over the past year, I attempted to gain more followers through contests. Stats are apparently a big deal in blogland. But a couple of months ago, God showed me that He would bring the people who needed to identify with my experiences. No contests needed. I gave up the approval of followers.

I also attempted to write about set topics on specific days…another biggie in the blog world. That didn’t work out too well for me. I would sit for hours, staring at a blank New Post screen, beckoning words to enter my brain, only to walk away frustrated. I’ve learned to sit and write when God gives me the ability.

All in all, my little piece of the blog world has been a blessing to me. I’ve met people I would’ve never otherwise met. I’ve learned that sometimes I have to dig deep to discover what it is I believe. And, probably, most importantly, I’ve realized that people just want the freedom to be real with one another and to be loved just simply because they are human…no strings attached.