Whew!

When I began blipping on 1 January 2011 (1/1/11) I couldn’t fathom posting 3285 blips without any gaps. But here I am today.
I’ve been looking through my early journal all morning, trying to figure out how I got here.  One thing I realized was that I wasn’t very good until mid-2015, when I noticed a little improvement.  But here’s the thing.  A photograph is only a split-second in time. Sure, sometimes it’s nice to look back pictorially to remember those moments.  But the things that stay with me are the moments and memories for which there are no photos. Most of the times those memories relate to how things made me feel.  I can clearly ‘picture’ the practical jokes my brothers pulled on me (although this might have been the best I’ve  pulled) or how they  teased me for being “sensitive/emotional”.  I can 'see' having fun with my friends, winning music scholarships/accolades or sports championships, and sadness when I moved away or didn’t fit in.

The best (and sometimes worst) ‘photographs’ are the ones never taken. So as I celebrate having posted on this awesome website for nine incredible years and having candidly shared my life with so many of you, I have the photo not taken of Mom and I laughing as we went back and forth trying to come up with words that rhymed with puck in 2019 and I have in my head the photo not taken of being in 9-point restraints in 1989.  I have wonderful photos not taken and those I wish I could forget.  But each one, taken or not, are what has made me the person I am today.

This is the first milestone I will have celebrated without my mom  To say I miss her, the best life-long friend anyone could imagine, is an understatement.  She taught me patience, kindness, courage and the true meaning of unconditional love.

You, the entire blip community,  have gotten me through many tough stretches over the years and 2019 has been no exception. Thank you for your unwavering support and friendship.    

~Laurie  x