Thingish Things and ten years of Heaven

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it. ~ Winnie the Pooh

Ten years ago today I pressed 'Publish' on my first-ever piece of Heaven, In the beginning... or why, in which I traced the lifelong scribblings and observations which had led me to blogging. Hitherto, I'd spent my life having Thingish Thoughts, and occasionally sharing them via in-house newsletters, or - more often - scrawling staccato sentences, whimsy and semi-formed musings into my journal, alongside deeper, intensely spiritual reflections. So, this was the first time I was offering something which could eventually be found and read, maybe reinterpreted or puzzled over, by strangers I might never meet, as well as those who knew me well. It felt daunting, but also exciting, and a very necessary outlet for the many words and thoughts - whether profound or quirky - swirling around within me, just longing to flow out. I was therefore deeply grateful to the people who encouraged me, and to the bloggers who welcomed me into this new territory.

A decade later, I remain grateful, especially to all those who comment on what I have written, adding to my insights as well as my enjoyment. Blogging has developed and changed me, as much as the events - personal, religious, political and global - which have formed a backdrop to much of what I've written about. Ten years ago, who could have imagined Brexit, or Trump in the White House, or, indeed, a world-halting pandemic? And alongside the rise in populism, and its encroaching darkness, who could have imagined Pope Francis, Laudato Si', and the many signs of hope, goodness and light we need to hold on to?

And throughout all this I have experienced and Thought of Things - quirky, random or profound; heartache, frustration, catharsis or delight - committed them to Heaven, and hoped that you enjoy reading them as much as (or more than) I enjoy their creation.

Ten years ago today I ended that first blog post saying This is who, what and how I am, and what I want to share with others. So in this blog I hope to bring together my different loves - of words, photography, creativity - and place them at the service of my central love, the Love that will not let me go. Ten years and 816 posts later, I hope I've managed to do that, and look forward and ahead to more years of Heaven, always at the service of my central Love.