A Girl Has To Start Somewhere

So how about a little introduction before I jump in with other posts?

Ok, well... Oh, dear. Now how to sum up my entire existence? Hmmm...

How 'bout I just "share ten things about myself" instead, okay ? Thanks. That takes the pressure off for a detail-oriented, shades-of-gray person like me.

1. I live in Pennsylvania, though my growing-up years were spent all over the Midwest, with a stint in southern Virginia for my college years. Those years were enough to solidify “y’all” as a permanent part of my vocabulary, by the way, so don't be surprised if it pops out. After all, our language does lack a plural form of "you". The gap was ripe for filling, and "y'all" just slid right in there. I sometimes get the, "Where're you from, anyway?" look when it slips out up here in the North, but I can't help it. I'm just glad the linguistic vacancy was taken before moving to this region, where the local plural "you" is --are you ready for this? -- "y'unz." Yes, really.

2. I live in the city right now. Well, technically, we’re a few blocks outside of city limits. But our house is 48 inches from our neighbor on the left, and just 28 inches from the one on the right, with a city bus stop just a few steps from our front door. I still think that’s living “in the city”, don’t you?

3. I am a Christian. Amazingly, I am loved, forgiven and called to a full life that cooperates in the purposes of God Himself in this world. All of this only by the mercy, power and grace of God through Jesus. If you want to see just how gracious God is, and how tough a nutcase He will patiently work with, look no further. I am Exhibit A.

4. Speaking of patient grace extended to me... I’ve been married to my husband, Dan, for nearly 15 years.

5. I’m the mother of four children, 3 boys and 1 girl, aged threeandaHALF through elevenandaHALF (If you’re a parent, you know how important those halves can be to a kid.)

6. I’ve been given the awesome task of parenting a child with special needs, which include high functioning autism.

7. I have the amazing privilege of being a trans-racial adoptive parent to a child born of a different mother, in Ethiopia, yet rooted deeply and forever in my heart as my own.

8. I am homeschooling my children. This has not always been the case, but we were propelled into it by circumstance and the special needs in our family right now.

9. Though I've officially been a "SAHM" for as long as I've had children, I was a birth doula for several of those years. The realities of life without a live-in nanny (or any child care), with a child for whom focus on attachment was a primary need, and while homeschooling, have meant that the 24/7 on-call status of a doula is just no longer doable for me. For now. I loved working with birthing women and their families, but for now I'm just a good listening ear for anyone whose birth stories and musings have worn out their welcome elsewhere. We birth junkies are good for that, at least.

10. I am befuddled by the question, "What kind of music do you like?" My best answer is, "GOOD music! Whatever the genre." That's a little too egocentric to actually say, of course. But my taste in music is eclectic, to say the least, often to my husband's amusement. He never knows if he'll find me rockin' out, weeping to opera, steppin' to the hip-hop, dancing rumba with Juan Luis Guerra, getting all contemplative, praising God gospel-style, feelin' the drums, bopping to oldies, going about my business to an Irish jig, feelin' Froggy, blues-y or classical, or getting sappy with Delilah. The infinite variety in human creativity is amazing. One of many things I can't wait to experience in Heaven is the MUSIC! Can you imagine?!

That's it! That's ten. That wasn't so bad.

Testing 1, 2... Testing...

Hello? Hello? Um... is this thing on?

It is? Oh, wow. I thought this blog might have just died peacefully in its sleep by now. After all, it was set up a full year ago, and I have yet to post a single sentence.

Since then, apparently, 169 folks have clicked on my name in Blogger, no doubt hoping to find out something about who on earth is stalking their blog and leaving mile-long comments, only to be rewarded with nothing more interesting than my name and state. Well, except for the first few months, when “Afghanistan” was listed as my residence after I'd unwittingly scrolled to it in profile set–up. (I’m technologically brilliant, I tell you. And observant.) At least "Afghanistan" was interesting. Not true, but interesting.

Anyway, to all of you who have stopped by, unrewarded, I am sorry. You are long gone and will never see this apology, but I offer it, nonetheless, into the airwaves. Or satellite waves. Or whatever we’re surfing here. (As I said, I’m technologically brilliant. Be dazzled by my brilliance.) It may very well be that I have been amused, enlightened and generally blessed by the writing and glimpses of life that you’ve offered on your own blog, and for that I thank you. It’s wonderful to share a little bit of life with you through this modern mode of community.

I’ve wanted to participate in the blogging community more fully for a long time. There are stories I want to both write down for myself and share with others. There are ideas and issues I would love to discuss with you. There are probably even cute pictures of my kids that you need to see, but you just never knew it. Life circumstances in the past few years have taken every last bit of me, though. Until now I’ve sensed that, for me, stealing time and energy for blogging was just wrong.

Last week, one of those eminently bloggable stories happened in my life. “I HAVE to blog about this!” I immediately thought. “Wait. I don’t blog,” was the thought that occurred next. And so on. This little conversation with myself has happened on a few occasions. With the easing of responsibilities that comes with summer’s beginning, though, blogging in the wee hours feels almost feasible. The convergence of a bloggable story and a month-long summer break is just too much temptation for a girl to stand... so, here I am.

Can you stand the excitement?

Anyone...? Anyone...?

In any case, I’ll be back soon!