Yes – exactly a year ago Holding Heaven was born. And as you can see, I’m sparing no expense in celebrating my first Blogiversary! I gather that on such an auspicious occasion the form is to review one’s outpourings , analyse one’s analytics and standardise one’s stats; the virtual, not the physical kind. Which is just as well, given that if the latter were translated into digital -speak, my poor blog would be bursting at the seams.
After nearly fourteen years in the blogosphere, my aim, as I explained as I quit the old Green Patches was for simplicity: as few bells and whistles as possible, no more bloghoppery. All my previous blogs were a mixture of diary, documenting life then with two teenagers, midlife crisis, my meanderings through the dreaded menopause, spiritual journaling and account of my journey through theological study, and of my vocational searchings. With a generous sprinkling of plain daftness thrown in!
Holding Heaven, was, and still is,intended to be more focused, reflective. As I blogged at the time:
Why ‘Dancing Angels?’ Simple. It reminds me of those rare ‘golden moments’ when I feel I’m experiencing just a glimpse of what it must be like to be wholly in tune and at one with a life-giving force spirit or ground of being. What I, as a Christian, call God.
Jesuit David Lonsdale speaks of Listening to the Music of The Spirit, of praying through our circumstances and the choices we face everyday. It’s a lifetime’s process.
At times I feel it’s not unlike herding cats, or, put more poetically, capturing a butterfly.
Yet there are moments when a veil lifts and then…it’s as if I really am dancing with Angels. Though I’d prefer us not to be stepping out on the head of a pin!
It was also intended to be a means of working towards re-discovering my own ‘voice’ after a long break. No more writing under a pseudonym. Daunting stuff!
The longer term aim is to incorporate and develop Holding Heaven into some kind of spiritual resource, especially in connection with my work of spiritual accompaniment.
Have I achieved my aims? Ahem….No! Not in the conventional sense. If my virtual stats were translated to the physical, I’d be fading away. Although I’m slowly getting to know a lovely group of people via WordPress. No more moaning about missing Blogspot now!
I still die a thousand deaths each time I share my writing and as for putting my art journaling out there…(Yeek!) we’re in sky-high blood pressure territory here.
Spiritual resourcing? Well, I’m too busy out there actually doing it!
It ain’t easy being a would-be contemplative, you know.
Yet…as we so often find with those we’re alongside, we learn as much from them as them from us and the same goes with this bloggy business. God (or whatever term you use) is a God of Surprises, works both on and offline, and certainly doesn’t stick to the rules of analytics and SEO. God comes to us, disguised as our life, as Frederich Buechner famously said.
I’ve learnt so much, in what’s not been an easy year personally, simply by turning up and being. And looking back, there have been no shortage of angels – often unexpected ones. (Isn’t that what angels do, after all?).
So – Happy First Blogiversary to Me, and here’s to the next year!
HaPpY HaPpY Blogiversary! Blessings on this next year in the blogosphere. ????????????????????????????????
And to you, Virginia. Thanks for dropping by and for the Blogiversary Wishes!