Welcome to my new writing home.

I have wanted to move my blog away from its previous spot for a long time. But I never pulled the trigger until now. The process of transferring a domain name to another server can take hours or up to a week. However in my case, once I clicked the accept button, the transfer happened in moments.

Immediately I wanted one last glimpse of my old blog and tried to log onto my old site and received a message deeming this action unsafe. I was ready to leave but didn’t feel I had said a proper goodbye.

On August 26, 2006, I started my blog on a whim. We had outgrown our kitchen nook space for mealtime and morphed to hold our refrigerator and a small desk holding our PC. I have vivid memories of having the fridge door smack the back of my chair while I typed away. Let’s leave my varied responses to the imagination.

In the center of our home, despite the frequent interruptions, was where I began sharing words beyond my journals. I am so grateful for those early years of writing a lot of poorly constructed pieces. It was during those years, I found the camaraderie of other online writers and unparalleled support. I discovered my voice and what areas of life were valuable to me. I published over 900 posts and amassed a draft pile numbering around 300.

I have read many of those posts over the last year and although most would require heavy editing, they contain my history and message. Some times I wonder if I have an original thought as year after year, my themes remain the same:

• reminding others they are not alone

• encouraging rest and sabbath

• pointing to the importance of maintaining rhythms

• practicing faith

• paying attention to God in the midst of ordinary life

I can now look back and honor my old blog. It was a wonderful place to grow and learn.

With a click of a button, my blog changed locations, however, the rest of the process was harder than I envisioned. With each passing day, I felt my shoulders draw closer to my ears.
I was anxious about making mistakes and exhausted by the amount of work to be done.
I had to find the lay of new land with a different language.

I felt a crushing weight that was created solely by me. No one had set the parameters I had felt bound by. When I awoke on Friday, quite groggy and out of sorts, my daughter reminded me that I could take a break. It’s so easy when anxiety takes a hold, how my perspective flees. I heeded her counsel and wisdom and took the morning off.

I decided to stop pushing so hard and institute a soft start. How many times
have I opened an email from my son’s school announcing a soft start at the beginning of a new term? A soft start is designed to ease into a new routine or create space to begin slowly when approaching a new challenge.

I was doing work that felt hard and to counteract this reality, I needed to move in a softer way. Allowing myself to take a softer approach made a visible difference in my body, mind, and mood.

What feels hard in your life right now that could benefit from a softer mindset?

Welcome to my new home.

I hope as you look around, it will entice you to visit often.

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