One Hundred

Here we are, dear friends. Today I post my one-hundredth post on this blog, and while that is an arbitrary number it seems an appropriate place to pause and reflect.

I began this blog just after returning from a marvelous holiday that somehow left me in a state of confusion. It seems I had a lot to sort out, from unresolved feelings about the unexpected death of my mother to trying to figure out why I fell in love with Ireland in a way that astonished me. I had so many things I wanted to say, far more than I could ever say to one person, and this blog idea presented itself through two very good friends who encouraged me to take the leap. My dear friend Jo just said she wanted to read more of my stories, and I think my beloved friend Jack just knew I needed to tell them.Thanks to their encouragement I began to write these stories, and I just haven't stopped.

Some of the posts made me cry as I wrote them, like writing about losing my mother and father. Writing about my sisters and aunt made me realize how much I treasure them, and perhaps far more than I had ever realized. Writing about my husband made me realize what a long journey he and I have been on, and how much we have shared together. Writing about my daughter made me realize how fleeting childhood is, and how much I wanted to preserve these stories for her.

I wrote about things I had never resolved, like boyfriends that should have never been, and how they forced me to face adulthood. I wrote about my ridiculously varied taste in music, from the cheesy to the offensive. I wrote about why I adore English accents, Irish men, and shoes. As I wrote something funny happened. I thought my readers were getting to know me better, but the paradox is that it was really I who was getting to know myself better. I found a confidence, a strength, and a sense of myself that I hadn't even known existed. The more I explored it through my posts the more confidence I had to write other things, and thus other blogs and writing projects were launched. One of these projects has become something of which I am very proud, and which has brought me a sense of accomplishment I never expected or could have predicted.

Dear friends, after one hundred posts all I can say is that this blog has proved to be not only cathartic but life-changing. It has become a place for reflection and memory, and a place where I come to explore thoughts about myself, the world, and those things I hold dear. I will continue to write this blog as I've come to realize that life isn't a destination, it's a journey. The journey is best enjoyed with the occasional pause for reflection and introspection, and this blog has served me beautifully in that sense. I truly hope you, dear friends, have enjoyed the trip so far, and I think it has quite truly just begun. The best part still lies before me, and I hope you will come along. Travelling this path called "life" solo is quite lonely, and I prefer to be accompanied. Shall we set off again, dear friends? The journey awaits us.