Highlights (of my day!)

Thank you for so many wonderful comments on the post below, but I wanted to highlight a few of them because I think they speak to the good that can be found in the blog world...

I'm a lurker on most of these blogs. I stumbled upon By Sun and Candlelight a while ago, and I've enjoyed reading the blogs of homeschoolers for the past year or so, wondering why I didn't know much about it before. Your blogs have shared a life I didn't know could exist, and for that I thank you. I especially appreciate reading about all of the home celebrations of our Catholic faith. Your willingness to share these has led me to incorporate some of the ideas into my own family's life. Your willingness to share how you live out your faith has enriched our lives because it has shown us where we could improve in our own home and inspired us to really embrace our faith. Please don't stop blogging. You are reaching those of us who really benefit from your experiences, and in my case, have really helped my family evaluate how we live out our Catholic faith. ~ Anonymous

and...

I am a lurker on yours and other wonderful Catholic moms' websites and have gained so much knowledge and inspiration from all of you. As cheesey as it sounds, my family's faith and home life have been greatly enriched from reading your blog(s).I was born Catholic but catechised in the 1970's. I had to teach myself the rosary at age 30. I prayed that God would guide me to show my children the beautifulness of our faith that I never saw. Your blogs are part of that prayer's answer. You can "overdose" on anything- even water. Gratefully, Jennifer

I was inspired to begin blogging by all of those beautiful ladies out there who shared their lives and thoughts with me in such inspirational ways. I wanted to give something back. I wanted to share, not out of a sense of pride. Hey...I have good ideas too and I want the world to know it! NO! I wanted to share as a way to say "thank you" to these inspirational women and to the work that the Holy Spirit was doing in my life though them. Has anyone ever read Elizabeth Foss's copyright statement? Here it is, well, the part after the actual copyright statement:

If you see a good idea here, it's the work of the Holy Spirit. All good things are inspired by God. Ultimately, the Hat Tip belongs to Him, and only to Him. (And if you see a bad idea, it's because I wasn't listening closely--please pray for me;-). God wants us to share and to encourage one another, so if you see a good idea here, please feel free to pass it along. And if the Holy Spirit nudges you, send your friends our way, too. I'd love to meet them! Remember, the ideas were shared freely with you; share them freely with others. "Freely you have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8

Beautiful, isn't it?

As regards Margaret's comment (she is a highlight in so many lives!) I agree that we should not become hermits in our homes, slaves to the online world, and understand how someone who lives in an area that is overflowing with wonderfully Catholic homeschoolers might feel guilty that they don't do enough to reach out to those people so physically close to them. But, like all things, if we aren't careful, this can be another kind of temptation, one that us moms have been dealing with for a while... are we doing enough? Everything in moderation. How much "reaching out" is good for you, your family, and even your friends? Spending too much time reaching out to others in the real world can be just as dangerous as too much time reaching out in the blog world. It can also be just as inspirational; so find the balance that works well for you and be content.

For those of us who live in a part of the world where our fellow Catholic homeschoolers are few and far between, the community that the blog world brings is one that can't be easily found in our immediate area (although sometimes it can encourage wonderful meetings and opportunities to share in a way that makes those space between not feel so big at all) but it should still be balanced with the responsibilities we have to our family. But let's not forget about the responsibilities we have to ourselves. We owe it to our families and ourselves to improve our minds, to develop our God given talents, and not lose that personal identity that God the Father created in us especially in those ways that glorify Him. And as the saints have shown us, that glory can be found in everything we do if we have the right attitude.

I do believe that there are some people who, because of their own personal struggles and tendencies, should either not be apart of the blog world or should limit themselves very severely. Back when I first began my struggles with anxiety, I couldn't even dip my finger into a prayer request forums. I will always maintain that you should evaluate for yourself if you are too caught up in whatever you are doing (blogging, crafting, redesigning your house or just drooling over the pretty magazines) and it helps to have someone who truly knows and loves you or in some cases, the advice of an objective observer, to help you determine what your limits should be. My biggest concern when I originally wrote that post was that some moms who have the same tendencies I struggle with (all or nothing, black or white) will be made to feel guilty for the time they take for themselves and feel overwhelmed by those voices that whisper "you could be doing more" which is another way of saying "you must do it right". It is perfectionism in disguise and it is a temptation because we can't be perfect in this life. That's why we cling to the hope of the next!