The Good Thing about Blogging

I have a lot of doubts about this whole blogging thing sometimes. Don't you?

My dad likes to helpfully (jokingly) remind me that, according to him, the "original" blogger was the Unabomber—typing away in secret on his manifesto that nobody read. Awesome.

But really, blogging does seem so ... odd ... and narcissistic at times. I mean, why do we share so much about our lives? The big-name bloggers, who make serious money at it, are one thing. But us little folk, why are we doing it?

When I ponder questions like that, it helps to think of times like last night. I met up for dinner with sweet Sarah and we had a great conversation. We would never have known each other existed if not for the blogging world.

We talked about the Catholic Young Woman blog, which we both love. I pointed out that I've always felt a little awkward sharing my story on there, because Frank and I didn't follow the "Christian courtship" model at all—we went on dates from the start. "My story probably isn't the kind of thing that readers of that blog are looking for," I said.

Sarah disagreed with me, though. "Every story is different," she gently reminded me, "and your story will resonate with one set of readers just as much as a different story would resonate with another set of readers."

How beautiful, and how true. Each blog tells a different story, that reaches out to a different set of readers. By telling our unique and individual stories, each of us has something to offer. And by reading each other's stories, we gain the wisdom and experience of other lives.

Telling our stories is one of the great goods of blogging, and reading each other's stories is another. But most of all, blogging is about community. It's about making friends in the online world—keeping in touch with people and forging new bonds. It's something I'm just beginning to fully appreciate and cherish.

I have a feeling that this blogging community is going to become ever more important to me in the years ahead, as I forge into marriage and motherhood.

So thank you, Sarah, for the lovely dinner last night, and for that bit of wisdom. I'm grateful for this blogging world that brings together unexpected friends.