I just saw at Barb’s a weekly meme started by My Life as Annie called Time Travel Tuesday. I hadn’t seen it before, but apparently each week Annie suggests a particular time in our lives that we go back and write about. Sounds like fun!

This week the instructions are to go back to our first blog post, post it again, and tell how we got started blogging.

I think I first heard about blogging through my oldest son. He had a blog, but it wasn’t terribly interactive; it was more of a place to record his thoughts. Then I used to be on the Crosswalk forums a lot, and they have their own “Blog Town” there, but it was in the same format as the rest of their forums and didn’t have a place for comments there at the blogs — bloggers had to start a separate thread in another part of the forums to interact with others.

I can’t remember how I first discovered blogs as I know them now — probably as a link from something else I read. I discovered a few that I enjoyed reading regularly. Gradually the idea began to dawn to begin one of my own. One of my main purposes was to try to be a testimony to others with transverse myelitis: some on the subscriber list I’m on for that frown at much mention of God, so I thought I would have more freedom to share about Him with others on my own turf. Plus, though I am not one of the “aged” women of Titus 2, I hoped that I could encourage other ladies in their Biblical roles. And I have entertained some thoughts of trying to do more writing, and blogging sounded like good exercise in that regard.

Here is my first post, less than a year ago:

About me

Thursday, July 27th, 2006I am a Christian 40-something stay-at-home mom. By Christian I mean someone who is born again by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior from sin. I thank God for His patience and grace as He leads me along day by day.

I have been married to my wonderful husband, Jim, for 26 years. We have three boys whom we love dearly and who keep us on our toes….and on our knees.

I enjoy reading, writing, decorating, some crafts when there is time. I have enough projects I’d like to do and things I’d like to learn to keep me busy for the next 50 years or so.

I had been thinking about starting a blog for some time, and blest with son’s posts about why she blogs convinced me. (I’m glad to be able to stretch my brain by learning new things, but I am new to this, so forgive me if links and things aren’t entirely smooth yet.) While this blog is a home to my “stray thoughts,” I hope it will be a blessing to those who stop by.

I have found blogging to be good exercise in writing: I often think about better ways to phrase my sentences. I have learned to be cautious in expressing myself, knowing that readers may take my words any number of ways. I think, I hope I have been some encouragement to others. I have been blessed to hear from some with TM. What I have been surprised about, though, is discovering the blogging community at large. I had been blessed, instructed, inspired, challenged, and encouraged by the bloggers I knew in the beginning, but that was just the tip of the iceberg! Then to see the way the blogosphere pulls together to pray each other through crises and even help financially has been a lesson in Christian love in action.

I think I’m still finding my voice and my place. I’m not naturally as humorous as some or as poignant as others. I’ve struggled, as many others have written, with wanting response and affirmation and reminding myself that when I started this I gave it to the Lord and asked Him to use it as He saw fit, whether I ever knew how He used it or not. I’ve struggled with balance in not spending too much of my day in blogging and reading others’ blogs.

But overall I’m glad I found the blogosphere and glad to be a part of it.

Click on the graphic above to participate in Time Travel Tuesday.