Pre-surgery Blogger Meeting

Yesterday, I discovered what I believe is the best thing to do before you have surgery. Meet with a fellow blogger!

Rebecca from The Road Home was driving through several states on her way to a retreat, and it wasn't far at all for me to come meet her for a pit stop that lasted two and a half hours! We probably could have talked for the whole weekend and not grown tired. I think the Bob Evans wait staff was a little bit relieved when we finally cleared out of our booth. At least three different parties were seated at the table right next to us while we were there, haha.

In all seriousness, though, I am just so thankful that we could meet. I've never met with another blogger before (if you don't count Novie), and Rebecca is just sweet as pie and kind as could be. She told me a bit about her surgery experience, which gave me confidence that I could get through mine. We talked about our shared dread of bridal showers as well as baby showers (remind me to tell you about the latter sometime soon). We talked about work, our excellent husbands, and our families. The best thing about it was that meeting confirmed that we were already friends; we just had to fill in some of the practical details.

A part of me wants to run through the streets yelling: I have a friend who knows what I'm going through!!! I promise to restrain myself. Rebecca gave me an important gift yesterday, and that is the gift of love. Sometimes, it's just too hard to really love yourself, your whole self, when it's apparent that you have problems, that something is wrong. But meeting someone who is praying for me and who has been praying for me even before we met, that's so powerful, humbling, and comforting. Thank you to anyone who has prayed for me on this journey so far. I feel so safe in God's hands going into surgery tomorrow, and your prayers are helping me feel His love.

Tomorrow at 12:30 is surgery time! I will offer it up for you, my friends.

Sts. Cosmas and Damien, pray for us!

-Jan

Blogging as a private person

Guys I am having a problem. I keep running into bloggers block (new term that I am probably not the first person to think of), and I think I know why. I am a very private person, and for some reason the knowledge that this blog is anonymous does not sufficiently reassure my private brain. I have seen many times that the best blogs are the ones in which the writer shares deeply and honestly, and I know I do not do that. I share tidbits and stories, but when it comes to the deep stuff, I always think,'oh I can't write about that.' Lame right? I do the same thing in my friendships though. I am always being careful not to reveal too much, to keep certain parts of me well guarded. I hide my struggles and my weaknesses.

So my question to you our lovely readers (the proud, the few) is how do you decide what to share on your blogs and what to keep private? Then, how do you challenge yourselves to share more deeply in your blogs? I see in my life that the profound encounters occur when we share deeply of ourselves,and as a mirror image blogging is the same. We learn and grow when we are vulnerable, but of course we must be sure to use that vulnerability wisely. So tell me, how do you keep a good balance?

November