My Blog has sort of morphed over the years. As work has got more busy, I find myself quite often not very creative or finding too much inspiration. Eight hours in front of a computer is enough to put me off spending another hour in front of the same screen thinking up something to write. Yet, I have learned, that when I start, something comes out. Life is all about choices and this blog has become something that I choose to do. The more I write, the more I realise that all these words that spill onto the screen may one day be read by a generation not yet born.
I’ve written the blog all over the place.. but mainly at home, right here…
In December 2009, when I began a daily blog, it was mainly to see if I actually was disciplined enough to do it. I found it an amazing tool to sort of slow time down. To pause and notice the events that made up each day and in turn make up my life. In January 2011, I decided to stretch myself and try and take a photo EVERY day to add to my blog. With this, I began to see that so much of life is in the little things. Mike calls it making the ordinary extraordinary! Now, not only was I stopping to smell the roses, I was stopping to take a photo of them as well. You will notice that seldom do I blog about anything particularly negative (hence the lack of housework, aches, pains, disagreements, work hassles and the general drudgery of life – all of which I experience!)
Choosing to focus on the positive, I choose to count my blessings rather than the difficulties. The daily blog has become a priority. It is important to me. In focussing on the blessings, I realise that despite setbacks (which you probably don’t hear about), in the big scheme of things, I live an exceedingly blessed, full, happy, healthy, trouble free life! The blog takes about an hour a day. It takes the place of an afternoon snooze…. it’s a good sacrifice. Is it an extravagant use of time? Absolutely not! It makes me more aware of all the good in my life – I live life with more intention, with more expectation and I find myself making the most of every opportunity. I smile more and enjoy the moment, not reflecting on the past or wishing for the future but zooming in on the NOW. In our crazy, busy life, that’s a treat money can’t buy!
It’s also a diary of all the places I’ve been and things I’ve seen. As I look back on the blogs, I see a huge number of photos capturing moments in time that have really made me happy. It’s information too that I may want for the future.
Initially I blogged at iblog and then moved over to helgavan.com. So there is loads of history going back years. I found my 47th birthday!
While I may write for the generation not yet born, the blog has certainly been a huge benefit to me. A history of my life. I seemed to have lost what I wrote between December 2009 & June 2011 which is where the iblog takes it up. This blog (helgavan.com) starts 16 November 2011, so I’m not sure where July to 15 November 2011 disappeared to. There have been server changes, but hopefully with this server maintained by my wonderful son-in-law, helgavan.com will, God willing, be around for a while!
What a privilege.
#175 of my 1000 thanks is for my blog.
#176 of my 1000 thanks is for the beautiful cool weather we are getting in Cape Town today.
Psalm 100:4-5
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.”
These are the days!
Keep the smile going.
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂