Blog friends!

I found myself referring to your kids like they live next door and are part of our everyday lives.  Your children have become apart of our lives as we watch them accomplish something new or spend a week in the hospital.  They are a part of our prayers regularly, and I have found it neat that we have friends across the country... some of whom we haven't even met.  I go between it not being healthy to be online too much and forsaking real people to being thankful for these connections we wouldn't ever have had if it wasn't for blogging and facebook. 

It makes my island seem closer to yours and less isolated than it did a year ago.  Being one of the few in my world with a child like Abby I often feel that no one really understands, but seeing your stories and doing life here... with you... helps me to not get trapped and self consumed.  When I change my focus to your lives it somehow helps me to change my focus here at home as well.  Does that make sense?  I could spend my life self-consumed with our issues and struggle daily to see outside of me, but somehow "this world" helps with that.  Emarie and Deakon are the first ones I followed after the chromosome 18 registry started a blog and connected us, and now I found a church with a blog link to a parent who does life here in MN a lot like us.  Some of you haven't posted your story or don't post that often so I'm going to encourage you to do that because your story affects mine.  Your experiences and how you articulate them are often my story.  It's often a story I couldn't put into words myself, but when I read yours... I smile and nod. 

We're doing life together and I'm grateful for it! 

To my friends in town... life gets so busy and I'd never know half the details of your life if you didn't post.  One of my closest friends blogs about her life with 10 kids!  Another friend has a new foster child or two or three... depending on the week, and when I do see them we are usually trying to talk over screaming kids. I couldn't keep up with all that unless is was after eight at my house in my pj's like I do :)  I find it refreshing to read about your lives because I know you better... in most cases.  There is the rare blogger who will "sanitize" her blog to look way more perfect than her life, but unlike some who are addicted to the possibility of being that fake woman (like the ones on the cover of magazines) I quickly pass by and rarely visit again. 

To my non-blogging, but empathetic souls who read to be part of my life... thank you.  Thank you for your efforts to enter my world.  Some call it spying, but I call it loving.  Thank you for loving us and sometimes just reading so you know how to pray for us.  Come and go as you please, but if you feel so compelled you could "follow" our blogs so we know you're there :)  It's nice to know who's out there, so when I do see you I can have more than a "how's the weather" conversation because... we're already on those terms.  You've seen my heart... we are friends.  You've seen more than the "fancy"(lip gloss, eyeliner and heels) I like to put on (when we're out on the town), and the dolled up princess I tote around... you've seen me.  The wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend I'm trying my best to be and the crazy, self-centered lady I often am instead.  I'm happy that He's still working on me.  I will never claim to be a picture of perfection to critique, but will apologize more and more for the fallen humanity I rub off on you instead.  I'm content to share my world whenever I can. 

This is where I've been planted... still working on the blooming part :)