My State of the Blog Address

As a 2008 New Year's resolution, I decided to keep this blog regularly.  The intent was to post once a week at a minimum.  For the most part, up until the end of 2008, I did well enough.  But lately, I've done a foul job.  The biggest reason for that: I'm pregnant and have been "allergic" to using the computer outside of work hours.  Though I haven't been morning sick, I've been dealing with "evening sickness" instead coupled with exhaustion. Both have deterred me from blogging.  (However, Facebook has seen more of me — that's easy enough to do from the couch with my phone.)  Anyhow, now that I'm in the supposed "honeymoon" trimester (the second), I'm generally feeling better and more awake in the evenings.  Maybe you'll see more of me here again.

Or not.

Over the course of the past year, I watched two of my "blog buddies," Jenn and Ginger, refine the direction of their blogging.  Both have taken subjects they are passionate and chosen to focus their writing on them: the environment and vegan living, respectively. 

I can see how both have come to that point, since I have been feeling the same kind of pull.  Whether it has been because of blogging, the comments or just the political & cultural climate in general, I have come to realize just how strongly I feel about my pro-life beliefs.  I've shared a little of that here, but mostly I've just "threatened" to post about it.  I don't know specifically why I haven't just done it.  Mostly I've just been treating it like a whole gargantuan dissertation of a post, so I've been wanting to have every little duck in line before posting any of it.  Regardless, the fact is, my tendency toward perfectionism is stalling me again.  But that hasn't changed how I've realized I need to act on this issue and DO something about the problem of abortion.

So I've joined an international movement you won't likely hear about on the evening news, and I will be participating in the spring campaign of 40 Days for Life.  40 Days for Life is a prayer and fast vigil with the goal of ending abortion.  During the last campaign, over a thousand babies were saved from death, and as many mothers were saved from the emotionally (and often physically) devastating pains of having ended a pregnancy by choice.  I am looking forward to the challenge and blessing of participating in this campaign.

To help me maintain my focus on the 40 Days for Life campaign, I have decided to blog daily about it and/or about other pro-life relevant topics. The posts may be short, since I expect to be posting many from my phone.  But I will be posting daily, with the exception, perhaps, of Sundays:  this will double as a Lenten sacrifice for me.

I expect to keep the pro-life posting trend going even after the campaign closes and celebrating Easter.  And while I don't believe in separating one's "spiritual self" from her "secular self", I think it will be appropriate for me to keep the majority of those posts grouped on a blog of their own. 

So, "AROSE for Life" is my newest writing endeavor.  I hope to see you guys there, even (actually, especially) if you consider yourself more pro-choice.  I welcome civil discussion.

But even if you decide not to follow the new blog, I hope you'll stick around these parts: I'll continue to sporadically post here about the REST of my life, including, I expect, baby updates!

Peace,
Julie