A Farewell Season

For the last three and a half years I have written this blog (I originally said 'faithfully' written this blog, but hey, even *I* know that's a stretch).  I have shared the good seasons and the bad- I have shared my life, my thoughts and my feelings.  I've shared photos of my children, of my home, of my vacations (and don't forget the photo of my laundry room on one of it's worst days...). 

I have come here during my darkest of times to ask you to pray for my husband and to help me make sense of all that was happening.

I have come here in my most challenging times to share my parenting struggles and to ask for your ideas, your support, and just the general acknowledgement that no, it ISN'T JUST ME OR MY KIDS.

I have come here in my loneliest of times to share my sorrow.  To share my pain.  To ask publicly for forgiveness.

I have come here in my lost times to openly talk about my eyes, about my fears, about the uncertainty about what the future may hold.

And I have come here in times of great joy.  In times of happiness so profound that to capture it in words was almost impossible...

I have come here at times as a PROUD momma- to share my kiddos' accomplishments and to brag to all of you how amazing my kids are and just how much they fill my world.

I have come here at times as a writer- as someone who wanted to grow her craft, to try her hand at a different kind of expression- to convince myself that there was more to me than wife, mother, employee.

I have come here in the most joyous of times to celebrate my marriage, my family... my life.

And you were here.  I have never had a ton of readers- I never set out to be a Nie Nie or a MckMama (for those of you who actually read momma bloggers, you know who these ladies are) and I definitely never became a momma blogger in the true sense of the word, but at the same time there are a number of you who have been faithful readers over the years... who have stopped in here to catch up on the news of the Furedy family, to catch a few photos of my kids, to have a good laugh or a good cry.  For that I can only say thank you, I can only hope that you got some enjoyment from it, and that you in some way understand me better as a result of it.

I have often blogged about seasons- it is a reoccurring theme over time and over the years.

After much thought and prayer, I have made the decision that the time and season for this blog has come to an end.  I am thankful for all that it has taught me, for all that it has brought to my life, for all the lessons I have learned.  I leave blogging as a better person than I began, and to me that is the truest test of whether or not something we have done in life was worthwhile.

I will leave the blog as is for now, as I want to retain the rights to the blog title "Looking From the Sides"- as that is who I am and who I will always be... maybe someday, in some future season, I will return to the blogging world.  But for now.... the season is over.

To every thing there is a season,
 and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;
 a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
 a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to get, and a time to lose;
 a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to rend, and a time to sew;
 a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, King James Version

Thank you my friends and may God walk with you and bless each and every one of you.
Night all-
C


PS  Comments will be open on the blog for the next few weeks and then the comment option will be closed down.  I will still see many of you on Twitter and Facebook and I look forward to keeping up with you there.  As for my friends in the blogging world, I will keep reading and keep commenting as long as your blogging season continues.