I have been “followed” lately by some new readers. I am not sure how this is happening or how they have been finding me but it is a gift. They have been liking and commenting on some of my older posts. It has made me go back and read some of the things I have written.
A blog is an amazing place. It started out for me, just being a place to store my things. An on-line journal so to speak or a filing cabinet for my book, not really to even share, just to file for safe keeping, somewhere else besides my Documents. As writers we all are different. Some of us are private about our words and others just about tackle you to make you hear what they wrote. Some bloggers post a random thought every few hours and I have had to stop following them because that is just annoying (smile). And others, I can’t wait for their next post!
Blogging here has been a journey. Not a lot of people really read anything I wrote until just a few months ago. And honestly, I didn’t expect them to. But now that I have gotten some good feedback, I sometimes feel that I can just sit back and ask people to go into my archives and read that while I take a little break and edit my book but I have learned that, that is not how it works here. You have to be active or people lose interest. And seriously, people don’t read something re-blogged as readily as we think. And so I am sharing a post that no one really ever read except for one of my new readers that inspired me to re blog this in my own way…
It was called Survivors and I wrote it in April when I was making some big decisions in my life….
Survivors
As we go through life, we take on different roles.
Daughter,
Sister,
Wife,
Mother,
Aunt,
Friend
and eventually Grandmother.
We take advice, and later even offer it. The life we live along the way prepares us for the roles we take on. Our stories all have lessons we each can learn from. Even our struggles and sorrows are eventually gifts of wisdom. As survivors of different trials we go through, we can offer hope and guidance for others when they see us come out of our own valleys without the battle scars they fear. And what scars we do retain, we can wear them as badges of honor for we are SURVIVORS.
The red flags we learn to be aware of, the lessons learned, the wisdom we can offer all are important pieces to the puzzle. Sometimes some of the pieces are missing and it takes a long time to find where they fit in order to see the bigger picture. But once all the pieces are in place, all the lessons are learned and all the pictures are made, we put them all back in the box, shake it up and make the pictures all over again!
coastalmom
Jan 29, 2013 @ 21:59:13
Thanks for finding me! I like what you’ve written!
Jan 30, 2013 @ 00:15:49
Ditto! You have a great blog and that is why I took the time to follow! Look forward to reading more!
Thanks for checking me out as well!
Jan 26, 2013 @ 03:57:31
Wow. This is beautiful, open and inspiring. I look forward to reading your blog as you share with us all.
Many blessings to you in your endeavors,
~Terra
Jan 26, 2013 @ 05:42:48
I am excited to read yours as well! Your words have blessed me!
Jan 26, 2013 @ 01:07:35
You have been recognized and awarded the “Versatile Blogger Award”. Please visit my site for details.
~Paul
Jan 26, 2013 @ 01:09:55
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jan 21, 2013 @ 16:55:27
I love the pictures!! Thank you for sharing this post again, and your thoughts on this adventure called blogging. We definitely have similar thoughts on that.
I look forward to reading more of your amazing work this year, and thank you for being such a constant source of support!!
Blessings to you!!!
Jan 21, 2013 @ 19:51:45
Ahh Thank you for your great pictures too and being my support! I am blessed having you in my blogging life and in my real heart!
Jan 21, 2013 @ 05:00:19
It’s lovely to see the real you
xox
Jan 21, 2013 @ 14:02:48
Thanks Ralph! I have had so much fun googling the pics but sometimes find it necesarry to share the real ones as well… and now I have heard some rumblings that those googled pics may not be out there for us to just use… Have you heard anything? I guess someone got their whole post pulled because of using something that someone complained about?
Jan 21, 2013 @ 17:10:34
If that is true I will have to pull my Silly Photographs page. I’ve heard nothing about Google.
Jan 21, 2013 @ 18:06:08
Keep reading below… on this thread… Read my conversation with Ann… It is pretty scary if it is true! I am beginning to transfer some of my posts to my documents. I used to start everything on WORD and have it filed there but lately, I have grown quite comfortable with wordpress thinking it was safe. I am not sure what the problem with the google pics were… I was thinking if we were selling them then it would be a problem but apparently there is an issue about using things… I’m not totally clear about it… I am sure you can tell me more in the end than I understand now.
Jan 21, 2013 @ 18:29:41
I have trashed my photos page. I just can’t take a chance with what’s going on. Any photos I use in the future to emphasise a post I will have to photoshop them so that they are not exact copies. I am not scared but just being sensible.
Jan 21, 2013 @ 18:34:08
oh my… look at my blog… what do you suggest? arghhhh
Jan 21, 2013 @ 18:54:29
I think if you got your photos from a public source it should be no problem. I think people have been using copyright material or items without permission. I wasn’t sure of the source of my Silly Photographs as they were usually emailed to me by friends. So not knowing the source I pulled them.
You will have to think about yours and where you got them from. If say, you Google “Horses Pictures” usually a batch of pictures come up straight away with different sizes. They should be okay. But if you copy from someone’s photography blog it’s best to ask permission in the comments of that blog.
Jan 21, 2013 @ 19:56:47
I go on aol and then do an image search and get all of my images there. I put in father and son walking and a bunch of pics pop up and I use the one that fits my poem etc… for instance the one below was from when I was sharing a cinnamon roll recipe and needed pics to fit with the directions… and searched for rolling dough..
http://search.aol.com/aol/image?s_it=topsearchbox.image&v_t=keyword_rollover&imgsz=&imgtype=&imgc=&q=buttering+dough
What do ya think? Okay or maybe not?
Jan 21, 2013 @ 20:08:39
That’s okay as it’s in the AOL public domain. Pics in places like that should be okay. Don’t worry that’s fine.
Jan 21, 2013 @ 22:07:09
Wsheeeeew! Thank you! I have been copying some things to my own documents just in case my blog ever fell into the powers that be who decide whose gets vaporized or not! :/ But thank you Ralphie!!!!
Jan 21, 2013 @ 22:24:50
Big smiley
Jan 21, 2013 @ 04:05:21
Wow! You are reaching a good number of people with your writing. Keep up the faithful work.
Jan 21, 2013 @ 13:59:34
It’s funny, I think in April, this same post got no LIKES… even funnier that I notice now! Ahhhh didn’t want that to happen to me!!! But I have to admit… It is satisfying to know that people are actually reading my ramblings and that they have some kind of positve reaction! So thank you for that… But even more, the friendships that I have made in-between the times when I was a newbie and when I started noticing that people were actually following me…. I can’t tell you the blessing I have been given by getting to read your blogs and learning about you guys as well! Thank you Indytony for taking the time to read and respond… It is you I am talking about!
Jan 21, 2013 @ 01:05:47
Hi Di,
Great pics.
Paul
Jan 21, 2013 @ 01:42:53
Yeah well thanks! Considering what I’ve been reading about using google pics just recently (TODAY) I freaked and thought maybe I should use my own!
Jan 21, 2013 @ 00:46:29
This is quite an enlightening post really. It is good that you tactically drew our attention to it. You are creative and you work towards excellence. I love post and the facts that it carries.
Jan 21, 2013 @ 01:44:40
(((((Teeceee))))) Big hug!!! What an inspiring comment! Thank you!
Jan 20, 2013 @ 21:54:15
I don’t think I or most bloggers want “likes” as personal votes (trying to feel popular), but I believe we enjoy “honest” comments about our writings, or feedback as to the affect our words have on the reader. I find that many posts are inspirational, encouraging, or helpful in some way to others.
I agree it would be nice if there were other feedback buttons such as SAD, JOYFUL, etc.
Did you follow The Idiot Speaketh on wordpress and see what happened to his post?
Jan 20, 2013 @ 22:17:05
EXACTLY Ann!
No, I don’t think I ever saw that blog. What happened?
Jan 20, 2013 @ 22:42:13
Ahhh! I just looked up that blog! What the heck? I am toast!
Jan 20, 2013 @ 23:00:48
Go find Mark Pakulak on fb and you will find his message about it.
Jan 20, 2013 @ 20:29:33
I think it is your honesty – your speaking from the heart that brought me her, and keeps you in my ‘reader’ page. It is refreshing … endearing in a world were there just too many facades …
Jan 20, 2013 @ 20:36:05
That’s probably one of the nicest compliments that I ever got! Thank you!
Jan 20, 2013 @ 20:22:40
Gosh CoastalMom, I remember seeing and reading this and I liked it back then, but must have gotten distracted and forgot to “Like” and comment. Your thoughts about your life…many people will relate to and understand. I have never been a mother; except a Godmother
I do relate well to your last 2 paragraphs.
Well done and thank you for sharing this post again.
I have found that many of my older posts, written before many of my current readers are appreciated by the newer and past readers who may have missed them the first time around
Jan 20, 2013 @ 20:41:26
Ann, thank you! I don’t want to come off as pouty or whining about not reciving LIKES lol… I actually meant that I never knew anyone was reading my posts back then… It is fun to know that you were. My point was that the ones who are NOW going back and reading my ealier posts have made me go back and take a look and wonder if anyone has seen them. It is intersting knowing you read it all the way back then and remember reading it! What a nice compliment. It is kind of funny because I read it and couldn’t remember writing it! Ahhh… scary… hun?
Jan 20, 2013 @ 20:59:28
I never took your comment about “likes” as pouty or whining. I posted something similar on facebook that it is nice for people to at least “like” something posted if they read and appreciate the post so we know someone is actually reading us. I have often wondered if what I write is considered stupid or just bad writing when no one even hits the like button!
I believe everyone who posts blogs or tweets or fb posts likes to know that someone cares enough to hear us
Oh! and I have gone back to read some of my own writings and wonder if “I” really wrote it or someone else did
Jan 20, 2013 @ 21:40:18
Well Thank you Ann… I am glad… sometimes I feel when we talk about feedback or LIKEs that it is like begging for votes… which never was my original intention ever. But I do know what you mean. Feedback is attention and we all have to admit we like! If even for a second in someone’s random minute. I wish that we could find a way to reach the powers that be of wordpress to add some new buttons rather than just LIKE… I mean when someone is writing about something sad…LIKE just doesn’t seem appropriate… ya know?