About fifteen years ago, I started blogging. Then, I was a single mother of two daughters who had just moved halfway across the country to survive a divorce and reinvent my life. Originally, I started this blog and wrote a few entries before I switched to another one that I first titled, A Heart That Breaks. The original one, this one, was raw truth, personal, scary, which is one reason I switched.
Another reason is because of a woman’s Bible study on Nehamiah I attended. The study was called A Heart That Can Break. I remember reading about how Nehamiah was on that wall and how he had his mission to carry out, and, despite the evil people trying to derail and stop him, he could not, would not come down from the wall until that mission was realized. He saw through their lies and attempts to harm him, and he stayed on that wall and accomplished his purpose. That study helped me see that raising my daughters, protecting and guiding them, that was my wall, my mission, my purpose, and, despite anyone or anything trying to derail me (even if, at times, their own father), I could not, would not come down from the wall until that mission was realized. So inspired, I started a new blog with that title; however, a writing friend cautioned me, and rightly so, to be aware of how words become reality. Thus, I changed the blog title to AHeart That Blesses, and I blogged there off and on since then about being a single mother, about my interests (writing, reading, nature, family), and about loss and how it changes everything.
Since
then, my daughters have grown into beautiful, talented, smart, strong,
courageous young women, and I am so proud of them. I now have two amazing
grandsons I love fiercely, and along the way, I not only kept writing, but I
also cultivated my career, moving from an adjunct instructor to an associate
professor. None of that was easy, but it was all worthwhile. And along the way,
I have learned so much about being a mom (and grandma), a daughter, a writer,
and a teacher. And now I am even working towards becoming an entrepreneur and co-founding
a company, Rinrac. Moving back and forth between the academic life and the business
world is an adventure, one that requires learning new skills, making many
mistakes, and doing whatever it takes to succeed.
And
through all the heartache and all the joy, God has guided me, grown me, loved
me, and I am so grateful. A heart that blesses is an apt description. As God
blesses me, I am blessed to bless others.
So
I’m resurrecting my original blog as I navigate these new waters, yet I will
still return to the other at times. Regardless, always I strive to see and say
truth.
