Funny thing about blogging. There are rules about how to write and what to say so that Google will like you. Your title should be a certain number of characters, and you should end the first paragraph with a keyword. Images should have alt tags (whatever those are) and the readability index should be a certain number. Bloggers want to work within the Google algorithm, which is basically an automatic grading system like high school. Except when they don’t. Like me.
Yes, I care that new people find my blog. I guess if I were smarter I’d work on all that. But my time and hands are otherwise occupied so writing posts in my own way will have to do.
Take today’s post, for instance. I really just want to muse on life and family but that’s probably not going to impress Google. Oh well. The last couple of months have been crammed full of family events and life passages:
- the usual summer church camps and trips
- the birth of a new grandson
- beginning our 30th year of homeschooling
- the declining health of my father-in-law
- a high school graduation
- moving a freshman and sophomore into the dorm (which necessitated the rearrangement of a family at home)
- bidding a college senior farewell as he left for a semester in Austria
Emotions and adjustments and sheer workload have been woven into all of those events.
There have been some deep waters to navigate in my heart and head.
In between all of this I’ve participated in a class based on the work of Brene Brown (look up her Ted Talk on vulnerability), and another class on spiritual breakthrough, neither of which has been fun. By that I mean that both classes have caused me to dig around in heart issues. Maybe not pleasant, but necessary….and ultimately awesome and life-changing.
The crazy and wonderful thing is that, for the most part, I’ve been able to move through these changes and passages peacefully. I hadn’t realized that until I just now wrote it. Believe me, there are plenty of past emotional meltdowns and anxiety-ridden days to compare this to.
Besides the beautiful grace of God, three things contributed to this wonder:
1) The constant practice of gratitude
2) Speaking life over all situations and people
3) Self-awareness (you know, things like becoming aware of a victim mentality or realizing when I tell myself fictional stories about situations)
This post doesn’t follow the Google rules. It won’t win any prizes for best SEO and the keyword density is non-existent. But you can’t put your heart and life into a neat box. And maybe sometimes blogging loses something in translation when we try too hard to make it fit. Thanks for reading anyway.
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It’s funny that, I don’t always read your posts when they come to my email, but for some reason this one caught my eye, and I went ahead and read it. What does Google know?
Glad you’re continuing to grow, and that peacefully. God always provides what we need at the right time, doesn’t He?
It’s funny that, I don’t always read your posts when they come to my email, but for some reason this one caught my eye, and I went ahead and read it. What does Google know?
Glad you’re continuing to grow, and that peacefully. God always provides what we need at the right time, doesn’t He?
You may not have won anything with Google, but you did with me. I like how you shared so much of yourself in this short but sweet post. I’m checking out the Vulnerability video.
I have found your blog today, and I can’t wait to read more from you.