WHY ?? … Do I BLOG ?
A month ago I didn’t know what the word meant. My interest was piqued when I read an article in the AARP magazine stating that so few seniors took advantage of this line of communication. I had heard the word, BLOG, of course but I figured it was just another part of the vast internet world that would forever elude me.
The amusing thing, to me, is that in my day we would have simply called it what it is...a Web Log. (Then I would have understood it !) But the shortened version is here to stay and reminds me, once again, to get on the bandwagon or be left behind in the dust.
But, back to the question, “Why do I blog?” I have tried journaling (recording my daily thoughts and feelings), keeping a diary and even submitting articles for publication…all to no avail. Each of these outlets left me strangely unfulfilled.
Blogging, however, is the perfect medium for me and I love it. I have often wished that I could have known my parents as children and young adults. What were their dreams and accomplishments? Did they overcome diversity? Did they seize opportunities or let them slip by? Who were they?
I am hoping, with the help of this blog, to supply my children with these answers about their own mother. This will be my own personal scrapbook...not full of staged photos but full of emotional history, my triumphs and my downfalls, and how it created the person that I have become today.
Why do I blog? Because it is my way to record the emotions and events of 73 years on earth...a journey of self discovery. I find that each article that I write prompts me to remember still more...a great taxing of the mind. It is an exhilarating memory experience and I am so thankful that it is available to me.
posted by Ginnie at 4:07 AM
10 Comments:
Blogging is a great way to share some of your fondest memories along with perhaps, some that may not be so fond but did affect your life in some manner.
When a beloved family member passes on it always seems that after a period of time those left behind start wondering about this and that with regard to the family member, but many of those questions will go unanswered. My mother passed away some nine years ago and it seems not a week goes by that some question crosses my mind about something that occurred in her life or our lives and I am left without an answer while also knowing I will never have an answer. And that leaves me with some measure of dissapointment.
So go for it Ginnie. And what is great to a degree is that you can share those memories and events with other folks your same age who can relate much more to your experience.
I know what you mean about unanswered questions, Alan. My maternal grandmother's sister (my Aunt Emma) kept a very detailed Diary from way back around 1885 to 1940. I couldn't wait to read it and I was so diaappointed when I did. She was a typical reticent New Englander and NEVER displayed any emotion...just listed facts, like weather, visitors, etc. I could glean a few intesting facts but have no idea of who she really was.
Blogging is indeed a unique phenomenon. What amazes me are a few things...how for me, it began with a small list of categories and has evolved into so much more than that. I'm also amazed at the people we "meet" here who become as close to us as a neighbor next door. Blogging is a wonderful venue for so many different reasons.
And I can so relate on the questions being unanswered from those now gone. I lost my mother a year ago Feb. Although I thought I knew a lot about her....I now find myself thinking of a million things I wish I'd taken the time to find out. Like...who actually taught her to knit, now that I have taken up something that she did all her life.
Get that info down, Ginnie...because that's what will remain long after we're not here.
So true Ginnie. And there's simply not a better way to create an accurate personal picture for our progeny than to let them witness us in real, live relationships. Might even give 'em a clue for their own lives. That has to be a good thing---even if we're not around to see it!
Thanks for the comments, Terri, Saz & Lucy. Isn't it interesting how much more alike we are than different?
Ginnie
Atta-girl!
That's a part of the reason I blog as well. I want to go on the record for my descendents while there's still time! We have gleaned so much history from journals and letters and I think blogging is a modern take on that.
Hi Ginnie,
My mom sent me.
Your mom and the rooster in the Globe.
That's funny!
--Steve
Ginnie, you might find this an interesting challenge.
"Blog Challenge: Who is Writing Your Blog?
Filed under: Blog Challenge — Lorelle VanFossen
The LifeWriter’s Digest offered “Who is Writing Your Memoirs”, which inspired this next blogging challenge."
http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2006/07/22/blog-challenge-who-is-writing-your-blog/
Ginni,
You put it beautifully in stating why you blog. I've never heard a more meaningful explanation.
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