engaging my multi-faceted self

i've spent the afternoon reading over jenell's (one of my previous professors) archived blogs and have discovered that she's a lot like me... or rather, she was a lot like me in the fall of 2004.  i identify with her thick layers of cynicism intermixed with her struggle to understand deep feelings of pain and disappointment; i appreciate her delight in finding an outlet for herself, a way that she can better communicate both her intellectual musings and her random thoughts throughout the day; i am struck by her honesty and desire that i could be so bold.  

i used to have a pretty strong distaste for blogs, similar to what most people feel about memoirs... who would want to read about someone's reflections on their own life?  seems a bit self-centered to write only about me and my life.  but i've  recently discovered a love for the memoir style of writing... at least, for those that are done well- those that not only tell stories from a person's life, but that also point to the human experience as a whole, those that use the act of storytelling to better connect the audience with either an experience or a particular insight.  and similarly, i've come to enjoy the sphere of blogging as a sort of unedited and immediate kind of memoir.  i especially enjoy the way reading jenell's archived blogs helps me understand myself with all my confusion and grief, and helps me rethink how i can find hope and strength in god from this state of being.

in one of her early postings, jenell talks about how she appreciates blogging for the voice that it allows women to carry- how it humanizes a person, allowing them to put forth both intellect and emotion, both seriousness and humor, both the rational and irrational.  she herself writes both about the loss of her triplet sons during childbirth and also about the daily lives of her cats.  

and so i'm excited to participate, excited to discover an avenue through which i can engage my multi-faceted self, excited to explore my truest voice in the midst of such a confusing stage of life.  and i'm excited to have you along for the ride... whomever you may be.