Community
Having read this by emergingminister, and having been apart of what I consider a blogging community for several months now, I have to say that my take on community and people is that they are things I sort of stumble into, not really intending to go there, rarely understanding it or them, but more often than not, surprisingly glad when I'm there.

Communities in my life seem to change more often than I'd like. Not so long ago, my core group of friends was almost a completely different group than I spend most of my time with now. I didn't plan on that, but communities inevitably change as people change. What I can say about that is that I was blessed then, and I am blessed now. And I've learned the importance of being in community with others even if the communities in my life can't stay the way I'd like them to stay. As a self-admitted hermit with a general fear of getting close to people, this is not an easy thing to learn or accept.

Then, there's this blogging community that I find myself in, even though it doesn't have a name or a core group or really any sort of rhyme or reason. I've purely stumbled into it, as many of you have simply stumbled onto my blog. I list a few fellow bloggers that I commune with on the right, but that list is not nearly complete. I have blogs I check regularly, and I find myself interested in the lives and thoughts of people that I don't know and may likely never meet. I smile when I see them on my blog. And somehow, it seems to make sense, even though explaining it to someone not familiar with blogging may not quite understand the cool thing that happens when someone starts a blog and starts exploring other blogs.

I'm generally surprised and confused when people (in the blogging world or in the real world) have an interest in me. Maybe that comes from too many people not being interested, or losing an interest they once had, or only being interested in some parts of me, but not other parts. Being hermit-like, I tend to blend in to the surroundings more often than I make an impression. Sometimes, I can't understand why people keep talking to me, or keep coming back to read more of my blog, or keep wanting to spend time with me, or make efforts to get to know me. I love it, and I'm grateful for it. But sometimes I have to wonder if they are truly seeing me when they look at me or talk to me, because I'm not necessarily sure I'm all that cool, or fun, or entertaining, or kind, or helpful, or enjoyable to be with.

I'm basically a huge dork of a hermit. And the fact that some people can see past that and insist on getting to know me, I'm floored by that. Wonderfully blessed and highly amused and extremely grateful and hopefully reciprocating the effort, but not sure quite what to do with that when it happens. That may have something to do with why relationships are difficult for me. It's hard for me to get past the 'why' of why people could possibly dig me. Even when I may completely dig someone else.

So when I read something like this, which quite honestly could possibly be one of the nicest, coolest things anyone has ever said about me, I am frankly completely blown away. I don't know this person, Daisy. I didn't pay her to write what she wrote. I didn't even know she'd written this about me until her husband thoughtfully emailed me to let me know I'd been 'mentioned'. (He neglected to say I was the subject of an entire blog entry) But, upon reading it, it probably made my day today. And it makes me glad to be in community with other bloggers, even if I don't know them, may never meet them, and I'm shocked to discover that my simple little blog appeals to someone in such a way.

Daisy, thanks for the props. Welcome to the community.

C.T.