Four years ago I bought this site, and I have continued to pay each year for the past four years to maintain ownership, but I only had FOUR posts, all within the first month of opening the blog.  I never really think about this place, at least, not until recently, after I began a project called “Letters to Will”…

My brother William recently joined the Navy at the age of 19 and just went off to basic training, or boot camp (known as RTC to its members), at the beginning of January. He had little to no connection to the outside world – no phone, TV, or computers.  I imagined him alone, trying to figure out a whole new life on his own, and I wanted him to feel connected, even if it was only to me 🙂 I started writing him letters. I included topics of what was happening in the world, what was happening in our family, stuff going on in my life, and whatever random tidbits I had on hand (Kitty is still fat).

Writing my letters to Will had more of an impact on me than I thought it would…it became a somewhat cathartic experience. Partially  because I honestly didn’t know if he would actually receive and read them, and partially because I had to stop and think about what I was writing (the term ‘cut and paste’ is amazingly taxing when it comes to writing letters), and partially because I wrote without fear of judgement (no matter what I wrote, it was probably at least providing entertainment of some sort)! In my letters I also told Will about things I wanted to accomplish, things I wanted to do. Oddly enough, when I wrote them down in my letters, I was more likely to actually do them. Letters to Will became not only a way to communicate with my brother, but to also a way to inspire myself, to commit to ideas I wanted in my life.

Reconnecting to this blog is inspired by Letters to Will. It is a similar concept. I don’t know if others will read it, and it is committing something to writing that others are capable of reading. It isn’t pen and paper, so it will lack a little of that same feeling, but it is slightly more public which I am hoping will balance out what I think of it.

Best of luck to you Will as you finish up RTC in the next few weeks, and thank you for helping me find inspiration in myself 🙂 Hugs and love –

Anna

p.s. Click on the tab ‘February’ and scroll to the bottom to start at the beginning, or just stay at the top of the thread to read what I’m currently saying 🙂