A Community of Friendship

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out.

It is then burst into flame by an encounter with

another human being.

We should all be thankful for those people who

rekindle the inner spirit.

- Albert Schweitzer-

I'm sure I found this on one of my sisterhood blogs, but I cannot remember! I've been blogging for a month now, and like Meg, I feel the need to take a moment and be grateful for the experiences it has opened up to me and my life.

I was scared to start doing this, after spending a couple months obsessively reading and contemplating other blogs and how their words affected me. I was amazed at how a group of women artists found a way to meet up in cyberspace and create a community of support and friendship and inspiration and motivation, without ever having met in person. I didn't know where I'd fit in, or whether I would without having a craft that I'm pursuing as diligently as these women are everyday. Finally, I got brave enough to sod the fear of stretching my comfort zone and just went for it. And it has changed my life- daily! How excited was I when I got my first comment (thank you Madougrrl!) Or when I got tagged (thank you Liz!) and mentioned on some of the blogs that I admire most?! It was a daily gift and such a joy. I still get excited and feel honored that people are reading what I write. And connect with it.

One of the best gifts I've received from writing a blog is knowing that I am not alone. That there are many women (and men!) out there who are going through the same things as me- having fears and doubts and emotional meltdowns and trying to learn to let go and live in the moment and have our own wants and be proud of what we have accomplished. I've always seen my anxiety as such a handicap, as an obstacle that I must get over in order to live a fulfilling life, but after sharing my thoughts and reading the words of my blog sisterhood, I am beginning to realize it's a normal sensation and that I'm only giving it more power by trying to ignore it. And I'm not the only one who feels a bit lost and wants to make a difference with her life. We're all trying to find our way and inspire others, while living authentically and passionately on all levels. And probably expecting too much of ourselves instead of celebrating what we have and are already giving/receiving. (At least I know I am!) Grateful Friday gives me a chance to see all the positive things in my life regularly. 'Poetry Thursday' is helping me get over my ignorance of poetry and just see it for the beautiful combination of words. 'Inspire Me Thursday' and 'Self Portrait Tuesdays' give all the artists in you a chance to explore and share and create and I love being a part of it! We must come up with more exercises for the writers in us as well- like Feisty Scribe's 'Friday Question'.

I've always been fascinated by the phenomenon that is weblogging, ever since I first heard about it awhile ago. It's a new way of bringing people together through a medium that has been shaping our culture for years. The amount of blogs out there and subjects people talk about and open up about is unbelievable. I never imagined how it could bring such incredible women into my life. Thank you!!