I’m Back! And I’m Rambling About Mostly Nothing. It’s So Fun!

Hey Girlfriend!

I’m back from a blogging hiatus which began right before summer started. Did you miss me? I certainly missed you! I’m giving you a virtual hug right now. 🙂

I thought about you all summer long, but I must confess, I relished the freedom that the break provided.

Unless you’re a fellow blogger, you wouldn’t believe what goes into publishing a weekly blog post. I put almost 20 hours into writing, editing, accessorizing (searching for just the right images), and making it SEO ready (so that it hopefully gets noticed on the web).

Not to mention the time it takes to make shareable graphics for social media and then to be “social” on multiple platforms. It really stinks! You might be surprised to hear me say that, but let me be clear: I loathe THE BUSINESS SIDE of blogging and and social media.

I’m a gal who believes in being “unplugged.” I don’t want my phone to become an extension of my hand – as it is for some of my adult children and most of their generation. I don’t want that to be my reality. It’s personal, and maybe generational, too? Here’s a cute little story which fleshes out what I mean:

One day this summer I was talking on the phone with my daughter who lives six blocks away from my home. I told her that I’d be right over for a visit, but not to try to reach me during my walk because I wasn’t going to bring my phone along. She said, “Mom, you should never go anywhere without your phone.” To which I replied, “Ash, I love going places without my phone. What do you think we did before phones?!” (You little whipper snapper!)

Though I understood the value of what she was saying, I reject it in practice. I actually sense freedom when my phone doesn’t shadow me. It must be my age?

OK, it’s my age! (Approaching 50 and DARN PROUD of it!)

But I feel for this generation of misguided young people who sleep with phones under their pillows, eat with it at the table, surf it endlessly while visiting relatives, and carry it into the bathroom EVEN WHEN THEY DON’T PLAN TO USE IT. Hey, I surf Instagram and Facebook and catch up on emails in the restroom just like the next person, but if I don’t have a premeditated plan for my phone before I enter the lavatory, it’s not coming in with me!

And this endless occupation with taking selfies and self-promoting? It’s not my cup of tea. I like taking selfies, too, but I don’t take them 20 times a day or walk into cars and fall off curbs in the process.

When I was younger we played outside and had pockets of quiet time to process our thoughts. We weren’t busy taking pics of ourselves and crafting an image on social media at the tender age of 12. We played handball, kick ball, dodge ball, and stick ball. We played skelly by day with homemade bottle tops filled with wax and manhunt for hours by night. When the street lamps came on, it only made the game better!

We were runners. We played freeze tag, man! We sweat every. single. day. We rode bikes and skated up-and-down the block for hours.

What didn’t we do?

Oh, my! I just caught myself sounding like an old lady “hater,” but I don’t care. I think my generation was golden (or at least not entirely ruined by technology). I didn’t need to bring my smart phone to the dinner table so that I could become dumb in the fine art of dinner conversation.

OK, somebody stop me!

Forgive me (I’m almost done), but I can’t help feeling that we’ve morphed into a society of people who are consumed with the idea of self and self-promotion, and I don’t think I’ll ever fully embrace this obsession with all things digital or the various social media platforms that we supposedly “can not” live without.

Are you still reading this post? I was sure that I lost you there for a moment. You do love me!

And while you’re still here, please know that this blog is all about Celebrating the Adventure of Family Life and not about ranting like a woman with mad cow disease. Seriously, I don’t know what crazy lady hijacked the first part of this post.

But I’m having so much fun chatting and catching up with you. This is what a summer of unwinding and letting your hair down can do to a gal!

Now here’s a topic related to this website that will hopefully bless you…

Because of Jesus, My Home Is…

This summer I poured my heart into creating a free 20-day devotional to bless your socks off entitled Because of Jesus, My Home Is…

Because of Jesus is an inspiring set of 20 daily readings that explores God’s heart for the Christian home.

The devotional releases on September 16th, but you can pre-register now! Just fill out the form below and beginning on the 15th, each morning you’ll receive a daily drip of inspiration in your inbox to enjoy with your cup of coffee or tea.

I. CAN’T. WAIT!

Peep the Because of Jesus video promo . . .

 

I am SO. IN. LOVE!

The mission of Welcome Home Ministry is to create resources that will encourage and equip you in your journey as a wife and mom, and I pray that Because of Jesus, My Home Is… will do just that!

 

 

 

 

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