Of Inspiration and Blogging

It occurred to me a couple of mornings ago that I have been blogging off and on for several years now.  Some years more than others, but I have never really found my "niche", so to speak.  I've never really had any direction or purpose for it.  My blog was just sort of a place to talk about whatever crafty endeavor I had going on at the moment and slap up a few pictures.  Occasionally there might have been an inspired post about something, but most of it was just non-cohesive randomness.  I have wrestled, at times, with whether or not it was worth my time to continue.  Yet, I could never really let go of it.

A couple of months ago I picked up a book at a thrift store about time management.  I laughed with my husband at the fact that I had bought a book on time management that I would probably never have time to read.  I was wrong.  I began to read it and something about the author's approach really rang true for me.  She approached time management as something to reflect your values and your purpose in life.  The setting of "big picture goals" for your life is encouraged and is what determines how you spend your time.  Do you want stronger friendships?  Stronger family relationships?  A clean, organized welcoming home?  Does how you spend your time reflect that?  If not then what changes need to happen?

This got me thinking about a lot of things in a different light. I began to look at my days and think, "how does this activity move me toward my goals?"  I began to look at my blocks of time and think about how they would be best spent.  I blocked out times for the activities that I deemed important.  It is still a work in progress and I have a lot of trial and error yet to learn from, but at least I am thinking in, what I believe to be, the right direction.

In particular I began to mull over this blog.  Having wrestled for years as to whether or not to continue, I decided that if I was to continue that it needs a purpose.  But what is that purpose?  I still wasn't sure so I asked myself, "what is it that I love about reading other's blogs and looking at pins on Pinterest and why do I go and look at different quilt layouts, or little girl's dresses on Google images?"  It dawned on me that I am looking for new ideas and inspiration.  I see something and I want to know, "Can I do that?".  I'm inspired to try, I'm inspired to explore, I'm inspired to do my own thing.

So, with that, a purpose for this blog has emerged, and I am SO excited about it!

I want "The Merry Church Mouse" to be about so much more than sewing or crafting.  I want it to be about inspiring others to try new things, to explore their own creativity, to be inspired in their spiritual lives and to gain confidence in who they were created to be, gloriously individual and uniquely gifted.

I hope to share posts that inspire, posts that instruct, posts that show that it is ok to be human, because we all are.  I hope that you will join me here and share your own inspirations and creativity with me.