Dawning Light

I haven't blogged, truly blogged, in over six years.  Actually, I unpublished my regular blog, but I did leave my recipe blog available.  That wasn't really for anyone else.  Frankly, I am forgetful, and that blog gets looked at a lot when I am at the grocery store trying to remember what I need to pick up.

So, why am I starting a new blog?  You want the honest truth?  Because I'm pretty sure not all of my Facebook "friends" want to read all of my thoughts that I keep dumping there.  My husband, Jeff, passed away on December 6, 2018, and my Facebook page is the only place I have to put my thoughts.  Let's be honest, these thoughts right now are a little raw and melancholy.  It's not my goal to make people uneasy.  So, I realized that I need to journal my thoughts, but it doesn't have to be done on Facebook.  Thus the creation of this blog.  Any Facebook friends that want to follow me here are welcome to, and those that don't want to are perfectly fine too.  I realize that what I am going through leaves some people feeling uncomfortable.  Heck, this whole situation makes me uncomfortable too!

Naming a blog is not easy!  I really wanted to use the words Journey or Path because life is a journey.  A friend of mine suggested the name Interrupted Journey, which made me also think of Unexpected Journey.  I like them, but the truth is, I don't want this blog to just be about the loss of my husband.  I'm certain that will be a huge part though.

So, why name it Dawning Light?  Well, for starters, my name is Dawn. (Hi!  Nice to meet you!)  This blog is going to be about me and my life, so I thought putting my name in the title was appropriate.  The word light was important for me to use for a couple different reasons.

Jeff used to carry a little flashlight in his pocket.  He enjoyed whipping it out at night to light the way for us.  The happiness he derived from this always put a smile on my face.  When we buried him, I didn't want to put his flashlight in his pocket.  I know this was because I didn't want to never see it (or him) again.  Some things can't be changed though.  No matter how badly you wish they could be.  Since Jeff carried it daily, I did what I thought was right, and I had them put it in his pocket.  I proceeded to buy several identical flashlights for myself and some of our family members.  I gifted them the flashlights and shared with them two bible verses.

I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.~Eccles. 2:13
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.~John 1:5

Our family is going through a very dark time.  With the light, the darkness can't win.  Jeff always had the light, and now we carry it in remembrance of him.  Jesus is the light, and he will guide us through the darkness.

Also, for a little over a year, I have made it my mission to try to spread joy wherever I go.  Holding a door for someone, smiling at strangers, helping people get things down from shelves, etc.  Really anything can spread joy if done with a cheerful heart.  I try to think of it as being a ray of light so that others may catch of glimpse of Jesus.  I try to share His kindness and compassion.  I'm not perfect at it, but I keep trying.  I have had to be very purposeful about it these last few months. 

I'm not a writer, and I won't pretend to be one.  This blog won't be without it's imperfections.  Grammar rules will rarely be followed.  Trust me on that!  This will basically be my personal journal.  I believe in being honest about my feelings, and this will give me a space to do so.  Maybe along the way I can encourage someone else who is going through a hard time.  Or maybe, I will gain encouragement from my readers who comment.  It will be interesting to see where this blogging journey takes me this time.