comfort and consultation

Those lovely blogrhet women started something fierce recently when they issued the call to answer the whys and reasons to our blogging evolution. And while I am really not a meme-fan, I am fascinated by the ins and outs of the journey to here. So when Lawyermama and Kyla hit me up I decided to answer one of the questions instead of them all. I am nothing if not contrary.

3. Can you point to a stage where you began to feel that your blog might be part of a conversation? Where you might be part of a larger community of interacting writers?

I had been blogging for about three months when I did a series that explained how one plused two. It started with this and after the series ended I started to notice a change; I had told my story, and that started the embers glowing. And then I took it a bit further, sharing my pain and angst about things in our world and I realized once more people are listening because they felt that pain and angst too. My words mattered. And that was wholly mindblowing. But I sort of pushed it to the side and kept on writing what moved me, whether the mundane or the societal, whining or hollering or just simply sharing.

But then came the social justice evolution. The words here resulted in a proposition that turned into a wedding, and from that the Just Posts were born. And six months later, they are thriving still. Every single month I am humbled and honored to see the crowd that gathers around the fire to share our collective voices, bringing issues out in the open, nudging each other along. And then I realized it: We Are Community. We Are In This Together. And there is freedom in this - to be challenged and awestruck and amused and moved to tears by words alone. Sometimes it's easier to consider this realm less real, but in many ways I think it is more.

There is so much power here. And to prove that, I am going to push it this month, because for our May Just Post Roundtable I am not only asking you to sing, but I am asking you to pay for your supper. It's ballsy, I know. But there's a grassroots organization that is helping, housing, and loving children orphaned by AIDS in South Africa, and we are going to raise some money and help them. They need our spare change more than we do. It's that simple.

I'll tell you more about this amazing place over the next week, but be so kind to set aside $20 (or whatever you can spare) because we are going to raise over a $1,000 this month. We are, because I believe in all of us and I know we can do this. I was always lousy at math, but if 50 people give $20, we're money (literally, for once). I am getting all tingly just thinking about it. And That Is How I Know I Am Part Of A Larger Community Of Interacting Writers.

It's time for our sixth Just Post Roundtable. If you have a post of yours or one you've appreciated that was written by someone else, please send them my way to girlplustwo (at) yahoo(dot) com by June 7th and I'll send you the button. Go on. It's good for the soul.

We'll link all posts and anyone who refers one (or more) in our Just Post Roundtable on the 10th. If this is new to you, please feel free to check it out at the Just Post buttons to your right.