Introduction

For years I have wanted to join the blogging phenomenon. I have stacks upon stacks of index cards with scribbled notes, notebooks filled with post ideas, and journal entries dripping with promises to take that leap into cyber world “as soon as I find the time.” Well, while juggling making dinner, slicing mushrooms for the dehydrator, and straining the whey out of some freshly made yogurt, I came to the realization that the day when I would “find the time” was never going to come. Time does not present itself on a silver platter. This epiphany brought me to the kitchen table where my laptop sat dark and dusty, patiently waiting for a day that was unlikely to come unless I took it upon myself to make it happen.

Even this epiphany, however, was not enough to inspire me to flip open the computer screen and write with reckless abandon all that I”ve wanted to share. The imposing question, “Who’d really care?” weighed heavily on my mind. Who would? For the past 20+ years I have been a housewife and whether or not you’d consider me a recluse or perhaps antisocial, for the most part I don’t have any friends. There are those wonderful neighbors that I do visit with on occasion, a few stray people I’ve known for years but typically do not have time for because of the constant demands of my family, and a huge extended family that I might exchange Christmas cards with every two or threes years, but for the most part, it’s just me, the kids, my husband, and our wonderful dog Bella.

Realizing that an audience might be a pipe dream, I realized that although there was no one to necessarily share my thoughts with directly, perhaps indirectly someone might happen upon my blog and enjoy it. Additionally, what a wonderful way to force myself to do some of that “serious” writing I have wanted to “find the time” to do but could never push myself beyond the pages of my daily journal.

Writing has been part of my life since I wrote poetry as a teenager. Thirty-five years of  boxes filled with sporadic blurbs of special moments I felt compelled to save on paper, letters unsent and copies of those sent to people who touched my life in some way, and notebooks, binders, and journals filled with a record of what my daily life has consisted of for the past ten years are stacked in my closet and yet I still want to write more. Not knowing if what I have to say is worth reading, I needed to take this leap of faith, if only to prove to myself that I can go beyond my comfort zone and put my thoughts, ideas, and realizations out there in the hopes that someone can relate, someone will find useful, someone will care. If not, then I’ve conquered this hurdle and will have yet another account of who I am, who I strive to be, and who I am destined to become written for future generations to reflect on.

So, for those of you who stumble upon this blog and go so far as to read it, thank you. I hope you find something of interest, something to relate to, and something to take with you. My posts will be about my life, my family and why they mean so much to me, the things that dominate my time, the interests that I struggle to find time for, and the passions that keep me going day after day — everything that I am Simply Grateful for.

~Tilly