Why I Blog

In a few days, I will have had a Blogger account for 3 full years.

I wasn't a newbie to blogging the day I signed up. Prior, I had blogged at LiveJournal, where I posted privately (or "friends only," in LJ terms) since I was about 12 years old. Why the switch to Blogger? I decided to begin a public blog a few months after Jarrod deployed to Iraq. I wanted something public that he could read, and I wanted to document my days for us and for him.

Today, nearly 3 years later, my reason for blogging is similar in that I want to document our days, but so different, at the same time. It's got a depth to it, my reasons.

What makes someone want to share their life with others?

At times, I come across people who question why people, in general, have blogs. They don't understand blogging. They don't "agree" with it. To some, it's a foreign thing. "Why do you feel the need to share your life with the world?" is sometimes how it's asked. To address that specific question, I'll respond with, for myself, a simple, "I don't."

I don't feel the need to share my life with the world. I want to.

Each blogger has something to bring to the world. Yeah, the world. When you hit PUBLISH POST on a blog post, the whole world can see it. The amount of information you choose to share is entirely up to you.

We all have our own life experiences. We're all human. We have our own stories that make us unique. We have insight to give.

Me...

Hi! ;)

I'm a military wife, so, I can and do blog about what that's like. I have found inspiration in military wives' blogs in the past, especially when I was a new military wife, and me? I'm not the military expert, and I'm not every military wife, but I am a military wife, and so, if there is a possibility my experience can help someone else who is in the shoes I was in back in early 2008 about to marry a soldier, or late 2008 getting ready to say goodbye to a soldier who was headed to Iraq, I'm going to take that chance. That's who I am.

I am a mother. I've only been a mother for a little over a year, but that doesn't make me any less of a mother. It doesn't make my experience any less real. There are mothers and mothers-to-be who will and do stumble upon my blog, and if they want it, I can offer my experience, and it might help them. Or it might make me a new friend, as blogging during pregnancy did (and blogging since has continued to do, really). I met so many women who were due around the same time I was, and some of those women are some of my best "blog" friends now. There's that chance. So, I can (and do) bring that kind of chit-chat to my blog, because that's who I am. I'm a mother, and here's something you don't see in action often in blog land: Mothers should do their job TOGETHER, not against one another. :) I find comfort in my friendships with other young mothers. I'm thankful for my fellow blog friends who are moms. (I refuse to label us as mommy bloggers. I refuse.)

I can share my faith. I blog about my faith because I believe that's what I'm called to do. As a Christian, I believe it's my duty to proclaim my faith, and it is wrong of me to be silent about it. There are many I've stumbled upon who choose to keep their faith separate from their blog because they're concerned they will offend someone who doesn't agree. That is their choice, but that isn't me. We don't have to have the same faith to be friends. We don't have to agree on what we share on our blogs. You not agreeing with my Christian faith will not make me pressure you into seeing things the way I do. It won't make me think less of you. It being my blog, I can offer my faith in a Savior who died for me and has given me hope and life, and it might help someone else. There's that chance. That's why I share my faith on my blog.

When you type in http://www.betweenthelinesblog.net into your address bar on your browser, what you see is what you get. Some people like to sew. Some people like to do crafts. Some people like to cook. Some people like to shop. Some people like to take a lot of photos. Me…I like to do all of those things…then I like to talk about it here, where I can be myself, and there's a possibility I'll make a new friend, or I'll be able to pray for a military wife dealing with PTSD in her husband, or I'll share a recipe that makes someone a delicious meal some night in the process. ;)

Even though I blog for me, I am thankful to those of you who have been here for all 3 years, for 3 months, or for only 3 days. I like that you embrace and accept me. I like that you care about our little family, and you want to know more about us, watch us grow and change. I like that you consider me your friend, some of you, and I like when my phone *dings* with a new e-mail that holds a new comment or a personal e-mail. I like to hear from you. I like when you share back.

So, my response to why I blog? I blog because I want to share my world. You may see it as weird. You may never have a blog, and that's okay. But me…it's my thing. It's my hobby, and sometimes God blesses me with the opportunity to have it be more than that…in friendships, in extra income, etc. Blogging doesn't define me, but my blog does, to an extent, and I'm honored to share my world with you. That is why I do this. :)