Eleven years ago today I started Hope Echoes. I have stepped away a few times since then and thought of abandoning the project entirely several times, but here I still am. I took down the Sycamore Tutorial this month even though it continued to get the most traffic ever. It was not what I was all about, so it was worth hiding.
My life has changed a lot since that day 11 years ago, and it hasn't changed that much. I started the blog mainly because I was lonely even though I lived in a house in a neighborhood with a husband, 2 cats and a grown child who visited sometimes. I had family both near and far but I felt entirely alone. These days I don't have the cats or the husband and I live alone, but I am not nearly as lonely as I used to be. Hence, and forthwith, I no longer publish daily, often not even weekly or even monthly. This is an occasional project that has to find its way into my busy life.
What have I learned so far in this 11 year social media experiment? The first most obvious thing is--be careful what you say out in this medium. It is so easy to spill your guts or reveal too much, but it can and will come back to bite you. The second thing is hand in hand with the first--be myself, don't try to be hipper or cooler or more holy or anything I am not. Don't lie. Do no harm.
I write this blog for myself. I make it public because there might be a person or two who wants to come along with me. I give my speeches here and everyone is free to read or to click away. I can save my photos from trips by saving them to the blog. That may not be the best form of cloud saving, but it works for me. I can share my love of God in my little ways.
Happy Birthday, Hope Echoes. You have been a good little blog to help me grow in faith and love. You have helped me to see God's grace. You are a faithful friend, a sturdy shelter.
My life has changed a lot since that day 11 years ago, and it hasn't changed that much. I started the blog mainly because I was lonely even though I lived in a house in a neighborhood with a husband, 2 cats and a grown child who visited sometimes. I had family both near and far but I felt entirely alone. These days I don't have the cats or the husband and I live alone, but I am not nearly as lonely as I used to be. Hence, and forthwith, I no longer publish daily, often not even weekly or even monthly. This is an occasional project that has to find its way into my busy life.
What have I learned so far in this 11 year social media experiment? The first most obvious thing is--be careful what you say out in this medium. It is so easy to spill your guts or reveal too much, but it can and will come back to bite you. The second thing is hand in hand with the first--be myself, don't try to be hipper or cooler or more holy or anything I am not. Don't lie. Do no harm.
I write this blog for myself. I make it public because there might be a person or two who wants to come along with me. I give my speeches here and everyone is free to read or to click away. I can save my photos from trips by saving them to the blog. That may not be the best form of cloud saving, but it works for me. I can share my love of God in my little ways.
Happy Birthday, Hope Echoes. You have been a good little blog to help me grow in faith and love. You have helped me to see God's grace. You are a faithful friend, a sturdy shelter.
