FlutteringBy

My initial goal was one each week. One post every week on my shiny, new blog. When Jake and I set it up on November 6, nearly three months ago, I wasn’t sure I could maintain that schedule, but at that time I wasn’t too worried about it. After all, this was really all about working through the grief of losing Mom; gathering my thoughts, sweeping them out of my head and getting myself onto some road toward healing. Writing about it was better than wallowing in it. Even as the tears fell (and still fall at times), the writing made me feel better.

Since that first post from the beach, I have rediscovered the joy of writing, and any topic is fair game. Grief, of course (and lots of it). But also work, high school, my childhood, motherhood. Anything! Zack, my high school senior, became editor, often reviewing my posts and offering thoughtful and spot-on suggestions ranging from “try flipping these two paragraphs,” to “My teacher would say you were right to leave out the word ‘that,’ but I think it’s needed to make the sentence more clear.” (I like to call this payback for all the hours I sat next to him during elementary school, keeping him on task while he did his homework.)

During these three months, I’ve also learned that writing is an excellent, and almost legitimate, procrastination tool! “I really need to pay bills (make dinner, go to bed, get out of bed, just about anything!) but I have to finish this piece first.” I could be shopping on Macy’s.com, but if I told my family I was writing, they’d give me all the time I need!

The great thing about writing, especially about your own memories, experiences and emotions, is you never know where your pen or keyboard will take you. It’s like a spontaneous road trip that takes a few unexpected turns and maybe a cruise up to the top of a hill, leaving you with a panoramic view of your life – and yourself – that you may have never noticed before. And the icing on the cake? The connections I’ve made along the way. Connections with old friends and new friends…plus some ”friends” I’ve never even met, but we’ve connected through our blogs. I love how the written word can provide the human touch, almost as much as a hand on your shoulder or a warm embrace.

So, I exceeded my goal of one post per week, and this marks my 30th entry in three months. Here’s to the next 30! I can’t imagine what I will learn next about life, about my world, and about myself!