Moving Forward and Staying the Same

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
- Walt Disney

I'd been thinking about the direction of this blog and what to do with it and what I wanted out of blogging when Sandra (one of my most favourite bloggers) wrote this post: Do Yourself a Favor, which is a brilliant post, just pop over for a read.

She writes:

"So I'm making a conscious effort to maintain what my blog is about, to never change it, whether its look or the content of the posts, it doesn't matter. I want my readers who have been here from the very beginning in 2006 to feel like this is home, familiar, not like a completely different blog they stumbled upon."

This is why I love Sandra's blog.  She is not ashamed of who she is, she writes beautifully and her love of her family and home are just so evident in her writing and photographs.

But for me, blogging has been a bit up and down over the years.  Since I started blogging in 2005, I've had numerous blogs, off the top of my head they have been: Seeking His Glory, Faith, Hope and Love, A Bend in the Road, Another Bend in the Road, Verity Grace, Like Sunshine in the Home and this one now. I've been known as Mrs. Blythe (named after my favourite book character), Verity Grace and now my real name Sarah H. Sadly I've lost everything prior to September 2009 because of changing blogs so much, but I did import things from my last three blogs to this one.

Looking back I wondered why I changed blogs so much really.  I think it's because I wanted to 'find myself' - perhaps thinking that the blog is always greener on the other side haha :D.  Perhaps because I belonged to a crazy church that tried to mold me into what the leadership wanted me to be I was almost a split personality and couldn't settle on who I wanted to 'be' online because the church wanted me to be a perfect clone.

The funny thing is, every time I've changed my blog they've all morphed back into being very similar.  A mix of devotional, day-to-day family life, homemaking, and occasional angst about something...oh and funny pictures of cats and my obsession with words and etymology.

I set up this blog in reaction to leaving that crazy cultish church.  I think subconsciously I wanted to be like those spiritual abuse bloggers who help others in similar situations to escape the clutches of controlling and damaging churches.  Perhaps I saw myself with a huge group of adoring followers and a book deal. Hahahaha.  But of course this blog has done what all my other blogs have done, morphed back to type...and I have very few followers. LOL.

Symphony of Love, Flickr

I'm glad in a way.  Of course I will still share my experiences and rants about struggling with church stuff, but I'm glad it's not just about that.  I don't want to dwell in perpetual victimhood.  It's all about moving forward in my life and enjoying it!  I've lectured about spiritual abuse at our local bible college and people have been helped by it, so I can use my experiences to help others.  I don't want to name and shame, that's not what my blog's about, instead I want to document how I personally am moving forward.  And, of course, continue to share my day-to-day life and thoughts about this, that and the other.

I've learned that It's OK to Fail and it's OK just to be me.  Not perfect.  Not a clone.

I'm moving forward, but I'm still being me.

I started this post with a Walt Disney quote which is quoted in the film Meet the Robinsons.  Here's another from this film:

- You failed!
- And it was awesome!
- Exceptional!
- Outstanding!
- I've seen better.
- From failing, you learn.
- From success, not so much.

Four lessons I've learned:

• You do learn from your mistakes.  
• God does use messy people.  
• You only find out who you are by moving away from who you're not.  
• You can enjoy life while you're doing all this.

Let's hope that I stick with this blog from now on...but I can't guarantee it ;) hahaha

Big hugs and happy blogging!

A drive-by hello

I've not forgotten my blog and I've not forgotten my blog friends. Just a little busy right now. In the words of Arnie: I'll be back. x

Refer Spam - be careful!

I'd noticed an increase in traffic in my blog stats, but the referring sites were unknown to me and I never click on an unknown link. So I Googled the sites without actually visiting them and found some interesting information.  They are what is known as 'Refer Spam'. Apparently, some of these sites can have malware or viruses and may also have p*rn, so never click an unknown link.

Here is some good advice about dealing with them: How to Handle Refer Spam

Blog with integrity

I saw this on Melissa's blog. I like it.

Click on the button to take you to the site.

Blog-arino

Quite a few blogs that I used to read don't post any more, or at least post very infrequently. So I have a number of 'test' blogs in my Google Reader.

I'd really like to find some British Christian blogs, but they are few and far between, particularly female British Christian blogs, there are a few that I follow and enjoy (I think I have three or four) but most are from the USA.

Can you recommend any blogs? They don't necessarily have to be British, but it would be nice to read some from over here.

Bits n' Bobs

~Family~

I've not been to church this morning as Squidge was taken poorly last night with a tummy-bug. Poor little thing. She's quite chirpy this morning though and has eaten some breakfast, so she's recovered very well indeed.

I've just had a call from hubs' brother, all is well and baby is home and happy. Wonderful news.

Hubs' cousin who has been diagnosed with brain tumours is coming home from hospital, but we don't know much more.

~Books~

I've come to the end of the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke. I really enjoyed reading these books again and have fair whizzed through them all.

Chatterbox and I are now reading 'The Valley of Adventure' by Enid Blyton, we do so love our Blyton adventure books. We finished 'Five Go Off in a Caravan' and enjoyed it thoroughly - although it dragged a bit at first.

Squidge has a number of books on the go from the library. One we really enjoyed was called 'Frog and the Stranger'.

~Comment~

Hubs was given a Christian journalling book. It's simply a notebook with inspirational Bible verses on each page. He's been using it to take notes during the sermons at church. We were very surprised when we noted that it had been made in China. Well, I suppose we shouldn't really have been that surprised! But really, China, which is a country that persecutes Christians, making money out of Christians? Chuh!

~Teh Kittehs~

If there is paper on the floor Boots will go to sit on it. This causes great consternation if she strolls in with muddy feet from outside and then proceeds to sit in the middle of a treasured drawing or even worse homework! Pesky cat.

See how she observes me with disdain.

Hover-cat, like David Blaine she can levitate. Ha, ha, actually I took a picture of her sitting on the floor next to me and just at that second she decided to jump up and I got this funny picture.

Here she is, showing more disdain by refusing to sit on my knee and keeping her back to me. She looks a bit dusty there doesn't she? Lol.

Because I like to complicate things.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Lol, I had to add this picture!

Most of my readers here are long time faithful bloggy friends who've put up with my blog changes when I've decided to take a break - or in this case gone anonymous due to nervousness.

Another Bend in the Road has been finally anonymised, so if you're yearning for the good ol' days then pop over for a visit. What I want to do is move all the Another Bend in the Road posts over here OR move all these posts over there. Not sure what is best to do really. There are more posts over at ABITR so it would be more work to move them all over here, however, I realise my readers will have changed the links in their reader, etc. and I hate to start emailing everyone to say - yet again - that they have to change again.

I recently read a criticism of people who change their profiles/blogs a lot - my social media identity is just ruined I tell you, ruined! Plus, people get suspicious if you keep changing blog/profile/identity because they think you're up to something.

Lol, I guess I'm just fickle and like change...coupled with being a worrier well my blogs are just doomed! :)

I'm just blessed that y'all stick with me so faithfully with ne'er so much a word of criticism.

Hugs.

Edit to add: For readers who didn't know me from ye olde days of Another Bend in the Road, here's the original reason why I went anonymous and took my other blog private: Why the Title and Why the Anonymity
So you can see what the 'nervousness' I mentioned is all about. xxx

Blog

I don't think I will go over to Wordpress, it's a bit of a faff to start changing blogs again! (To say the least) Blogger has rather been annoying me recently but I don't think it's worth moving (unless it gets worse).

I've also managed to merge my two Blogger accounts. I'm not sure what to do with my old blog. I loved the title of my old blog and I much prefer using my own name rather than an anonymous 'nickname'. But of course I was rather spooked by someone working out where I lived from my photos - hence me moving here and going anonymous.

Anyway, don't worry I'm not about to move blogs again. I may reinstate my old blog, just perhaps anonymise it a bit so that old posts can be accessed but continue to blog here at Like sunshine in the Home (keeping the old blog on my profile). Whether I'll use my real name or a pseudonym is something I'll think about carefully.

Thanks for being patient.