I've been thinking about participating in this link-up all week, and finally decided to just go ahead and try something new. It was a debate because I sporadically blog here for myself, more like a diary than anything else. It helps me organize my thoughts and think things through in more depth than I otherwise would. My husband is somewhat allergic to talk of religion, so I keep this blog as a little place jot down my little musings that I wouldn't otherwise be able to talk about. It's been just a little personal haven for me.
The past several months, I have felt God calling me more toward communion with others. I keep receiving these little messages from him. I wrote about it before. So when I received the aforementioned podcast, I took it as one final stiff kick in the rear to go ahead and participate in something resembling communion. Plus the focus of the link-up is about the value of online Catholic community! Alright, God, I get it!
The online Catholic community is ESSENTIAL to me. I read blogs every day and I tell ya, Catholic blogs and twitter really help me feel less lonely in the faith. I go to Mass alone every week with my baby and half the time nobody says a word to me other than, "peace be with you." I don't have a faith connection with my husband. My parents never speak about matters of faith. Seriously, the Internet People are keeping me sane or at least plying me with company in my Catholic craziness and keeping the old brain from getting too dusty.
Catholic blogs have played a major part in my conversion (looking at you, Mrs. Fulwiler). They have given me a glimpse into what lived Catholicism can look like. They have stretched my imagination and encouraged me to consider perspectives that I may not have encountered otherwise. I think one of the great things about blogs and Catholic radio is that they can both evangelize in a non-threatening way that allows a person to absorb knowledge without feeling defensive.
Here are some tidbits about me: I'm married and have a little girl, 2 cats, a dog, 5 chickens and a gaggle of dying house plants that I just can't seem to maintain. I live in south Texas. I'm staying at home with the baby at the moment, but before that I worked at a library. I spent some time on the Appalachian Trail in 2008 but only made it 204.5 miles. I have too many crafty hobbies to get really good at any of them. Music-wise I'm super stuck on Sufjan Stevens (all you Christian types should listen to The Transfiguration by him!), River Empires and the Dear Hunter.
I don't feel like a real blogger, but I have been a journal-keeper for a long time. I used to write on paper until it started to be tedious and too slow. I started out at Open Diary during college, then moseyed on over to Trail Journals at the appropriate time, hopped blogging about crafts and finally came over here for a new slate.
So that's me. Back to you, Catholic Librarian :)
Rachel!! So nice to meet you!! And I *very* much relate to your story. My husband very much indulges me when I talk about Catholic stuff, he finds it interesting and is very respectful of it, but he doesn't practice any religious faith and so I do seek spiritual conversations with others who *do* share my faith. I definitely understand! And I've always been a writer/journaler (is that a word? If not, it should be) myself, and so a blog was a natural fit for me. I'm so, so glad that you participated in the linkup! Send me a message on Twitter so that I know who you are on there!
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