This Little Community

I have been meaning to write a post about "The Blogging Community" for a few months now but it just hadn't fully developed yet. Then on Friday I came across Alissa's {FRIDAY COFFEE DATE} and found out the topic was to share what this community has done for you.  
I  have also met a few bloggers over the past few weeks who have truly inspired me with how amazing this community is so I am feeling extra inspired!!!  Hopefully you will get to meet some of these amazing women as I have asked many of them to guest blog for me while I collect myself after I have the baby.

So here are some things I want to share about what this community has done for me and continues to do for me.
I started blogging in the Spring of 2009. I started when I was pregnant with  my first son, little Milton, on a suggestion from a friend who has a lovely design blog called {CIVETTA}.  Honestly, I had never even seen a blog before. I had Never even read a single post but decided to start a blog as a fun way to document my pregnancy for friends and family. 
Well, turns out I LOVED IT!!!  I couldn't get enough and found myself wanting to share more and more. I wanted to share about motherhood but I also found quickly that I loved sharing great recipes, fashion, handmade shops I liked.......you name it, I wanted to share it! 

The longer and longer I blogged the more and more I loved it. I met more and more wonderful women. I hate to exclude men. I'm not on purpose. I just so happen to have  only met women in the circles I roam. 

I think the biggest thing that blogging has done for me is allowed me to have a really lovely community of positive woman supporting me when I may have otherwise felt alone.  As a mother to multiple young children I feel like I don't get out nearly as much as I used to. In fact, I know I don't so I often feel lonely or isolated. This community of women has been amazing in the kind of support I have found here. 
I recently wrote another post about how much this blog graced me {HERE}

I always try to blog from the heart!  I try to write my truth!
I didn't always write that way but I have found that in my darkest hour there is always light to be found here. There are so many beautiful women of all ages, races, religions that have lifted me up, encouraged me, sent me money, (as I was writing this post one of my readers {Erica} sent me $20 and just days before my friend {Susan} has sent $25) or diapers or beautiful handmade things when I thought we might not make it another day.  At the very least they have shared their stories and their lives with  me, assured me I wasn't alone when I thought I might be and I'm not. 
It feels really good to be here. It feels safe, It feels warm.

Honestly, One reader sent us an entire Christmas in a box; gifts for my children,  myself and my husband because she knew our financial situation was so hard.I still don't know her name or which reader it was. You can read about that post {HERE}.
 I've had multiple blogger friends send me boxes of diapers, our favorite foods and yes money. It is amazing; these people who I have never even met have hearts so big they are willing to share their wealth with my struggling family because they are just good people. I don't know what else to say except how GRATEFUL I am to be here! I mean how lucky am I that I get to partake in these wonderful relationships with these beautiful people everyday. I get to watch their kids grow before my eyes, read their daily triumphs and struggles and hopefully help uplift them in some way as well. I have met women {here} and {here} who I plan to meet and runs marathons with or women {here} that I plan to meet for coffee and a play date when I swing across that side of the country!  
Its amazing!!!

I have found support here as a mother, as a runner, as a woman, as a wife, as one human being to another trying to make their lives better everyday. 
I truly LOVE this community! Thank you all so much for being part of it. Thank you for reading my blog, an letting me read yours. Than you for being a part of my life and for allowing me into yours. 
Honestly, I am truly honored! 

I also just wanted to say how important I think it is to continue to support each other no matter what! I know there seems to be this divide between "the real moms" and "the perfect pinterest moms" and I just really don't like it. I really try my best to stay away from Facebook as I find it fairly toxic to me personally but I have noticed a lot of snide remarks there about these perfect moms who pretend to have it all together with their perfect parties , high heels and crafting skills. 
I think some women choose to portrait only the positive sides of their lives which I think is great. I mean we really don't want to all sit around moping about how miserable life is, do we???  Yet others, like me, post a lot of truth whether it be good, bad or ugly but I try to always do it in an uplifting manner. 
My point is, this divide between the "happy, perfect" moms and the "real" moms concerns me because we are all the same. We are all mothers and we all have problems and struggles.  I have my days where I craft up a storm and cook a 3 course meal for  my family in a cute outfit! Yes, it has happened before but I also have days where I'm in the middle of a mental breakdown and can't get out of bed or my pajamas for a week so it's not cut and dry.  I think it's really important to support each other as woman no matter what state we are in. It's not nice to judge when you actually may have no idea what's really going on in someone Else's life. 
I sponsor my friend Jenni's blog, {STORY OF MY LIFE} and a woman left a really hurtful comment on her blog last Friday and it just made me really sad. Jenni handled it with such grace. I immediately thought I should probably pray for that poor woman because obviously she is so unhappy in her own life that she has to spread that toxicity around. It has happened to me before too, twice in the 3 years I have been blogging that someone has left a nasty comment but for the most part I don't see much of it. 

My point is, this community should be a safe and happy place to be and I just had to throw in my two cents on supporting each other despite our differences. 
I can honestly say this blog has blessed my family and I in so so so many ways!!!!! 
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!