How Important is this Blog?

It seems this blog of mine has become a bit neglected. I don’t post very often and I am often in need of a muse when I do. I can’t quite figure out why this is.  Maybe life has become so routine that even when there is some major accomplishment it has become the norm, or is it that I have just let things become so busy that I just don’t bother to make time.  I do think though that Facebook has had a bigger impact on my lack of blogging than anything as I would often find myself repeating the same stories on here as I had posted on FB. Since most of blog followers are also on FB, I just didn’t feel the urgency to write.

2014, and no I’m not making any New Year’s resolutions to blog regularly. I have even debated that maybe I should just go on an extended hiatus until retirement. But then I think that at times blogging has been therapeutic for me as I maneuver my way through all the challenges and rewards that comes my way.  Looking back since I first started this blog just over five years ago, April 29, 2008.  It is hard to believe all that has happened along the way. We hadn’t even started the adoption journey, though it did follow very quickly.  The first blog was short,” What’s New at the Dog House “   I posted a photo of the house after it had received a new paint color, new shutters and a much needed hard trimming of the front hedge.  That was followed by a picture of my brand new Honda Fit, which I still drive and have put 125k on it so far. It has been a big part of the journey we have traveled.  I still remember Fantu asking “ Mom, what is a family car?” I told her that they usually refer to SUV’s or mini-vans to which she replied;  “ but  we are a family and this is our car, so doesn’t that make this a family car?” She was so right it has been a family car.  The first few months included lots of stories and pictures about Caleb,  He was so small and we used to have so much fun. He’s no longer my bug, but a big 8 year old kid that is smart, clever and still so much fun when we get to be together.

Sept, 2008 is when we made the announcement on our blog that we were starting the adoption process. We knew it would be an emotional one, but we were unprepared for just how difficult the road would be with objections instead of support from some in my family. It has caused a rift to this day that has not mended.  I will never regret though the decisions I have made.

This blog then changed. It became about paperwork, home studies (which included a bit of humor) and the nerves. Blogging during this time kept me sane. It allowed me to record the process so I would have a journal of that amazing journey. In May of 2009 it became about the kids- Abate and Fantu, two totally amazing children that have touched so many over the years.

Here we are together – a family at last. I now blogged about our adventures, and fun times we had over the summer.  I didn’t post though about the tears they shed (and I along with them) the frustrations at communicating and the overwhelming sadness I felt over the losses these two endured that led them to us (or us to them). It was so easy to focus on the good because that was the norm.

School started and we soon discovered we had quite the little athlete.  How many postings have there been about Abate’s accomplishments. Fantu showed us she could sing, she was funny, and quickly grew into a stunning young lady.  The focus was definitely on them.

There have also been over the years the more serious postings as we have dealt with the loss of those close to us, or in my re-telling  the story of losing my son Trevor on the 10^th anniversary of his death. This blog allowed me to tell things that I kept hidden. To open up after so many years the dark journey that those months were.

Travel Blog… yes at times this has also been a travel blog as we have taken both trips for pleasure and business. We have traveled by planes, trains and automobiles. We have been to the next town and halfway around the world. We have stood on mountaintops and quiet seashores. I have stood on a street in Africa as my life totally changed. We have laughed in rustic cabins and 5 star hotels. We have been in burning hot deserts and huddled around fires to keep warm (in the same day).  We have seen history past and history being made as we visited our nation’s Capitol.  We have stood on seashores in Ireland, Texas, and Maryland and stood under waterfalls in New Mexico. We have ridden the white water in Colorado. We have hiked through amazing mountain vistas, and streets and canyons of concrete. We have visited museums that are fun and ones that bring you to tears. We have made new friends and reconnected with old ones. We have many more dreams of places to go.

I have blogged about illnesses and surgeries. Which have always had a happy ending.  I have at times vented my frustrations and anger. I have made commentary of current issues. I have at just rambled about just how normal life can be, or just random thoughts while my muse was missing.

New Years resolution to write more?  I ‘m not going there as breaking a resolution brings feelings of failure and disappointment. I do see now though that I do need to continue to write here on Teach Madra. . . it is a place to store memories. My electronic scrapbook you could say.

June 2013 in Washington DC