Wow! My first blog ever...

I've read a few of blogs in the past. I’ve read my close friends and relative’s blogs. I've read the blogs from other mothers, politicians, and nutritional experts (though you'd never know it by what’s in my cupboards). I've even read about blogs. But I've never thought of having one myself.

Sure, I wrote a novel, well, actually I'm hoping to write at least three. I can whip out a long-winded email or in my 'day-job' a marketing brochure, training, or a news article in no time. But to sit down and actually write about my thoughts... now that's intimidating.

What could I possibly say? Better yet, what could I possibly say that someone else may care to read? Is the world of a thirty-something mom with two small children who works full-time while chasing a dream to be a writer really that interesting? Is blogging narcissism at its technological best? But then again, is it about the readers, or is it about myself?

So today I’m starting a blog. Why? For two reasons:

The first is because, as I look back on the ten months I've spent getting to know Kenley, Trigg, Bryn, and Caelen, I realize that I regret my failure to document this journey. Sure, I have 130,000+ words showing the results of my effort. But I've thrown away the first burst of ideas I scrambled to write on the back of church donation envelopes that January morning when the Madigans first came to life. I can't find half of the barely legible notes I scribbled on the back of clothing receipts dug out of my end table in the middle of the night (thank goodness for computers). I've forgotten many of those moments I struggled to get one more paragraph written as my son screams for another SpongeBob episode, my daughter is tugging at my pants to be picked up, and the oven is dinging to tell me dinner is practically on fire. And I’ve certainly drastically underutilized the two most important words, ‘thank you,’ to my husband and countless others who have supported me.

The second reason is because I want share this journey with others who may have a dream on-hold. Not because I have any real wisdom to share, but because I know I’m not alone. Others have dreams that have been set aside due to careers, family, or simply because taking the first step is more daunting that having the dream in the first place.

You're dream may be very different than mine, but is the journey itself? While mine is to be an author, the challenges I've overcome, and the hurdles that lay before me, aren't about writing a novel. They're about the limitations I've placed on myself, my fears, my insecurities, and my secret lack of confidence.

Some of the obstacles I face in the future are out of my control, but many of them are not. I hope that through this blog, I have an opportunity to share with you who I am, and in the process, learn more about myself.

Care to join me in this journey?

Tawn