I have wanted to write a blog for sometime, but everytime I sit down to do it, I stare at the blank page and wonder how I can fill it with something creative and original. I spend so much time crafting things in my head, and then dismissing them as not ________enough (fill in the blank with creative, smart, clever, etc). In this age of Facebook, I feel like I need to create my image in a way that will lead to more "like"s. But even before Facebook there was the need to be "perfect" even when I was frantically and unsucessfully scrambling to pick up all the pieces.

I had to post this particular profile picture, even as I ruefully smiled at how tired I look, because that's where I am right now. While my life is blessed in so many ways, I still struggle to appreciate the good without anticipating or overemphasizing the bad. And yet there is so much hope in me...so much that I want to express, experience, and discover.

So this foray into blogging is an attempt at a spiritual discipline for me, one that I have anxiously avoided. To be real. To admit my struggles as I live out my faith. To not try to "spin" things in a way that will bring me favor, but hopefully, to connect with others on the journey and learn to see the beauty in all I encounter.

Will you join me on the journey?