Since I am giving a presentation on blogging in a few days, I thought I should step up to the plate, so to speak. It has been almost two years since I have officially posted anything. I have written may posts, but they never made it out of the shower and onto the blog. I have toyed with what the focus of this blog should be. Should I talk about crafting, recipes, books, child-rearing,…? Each of these topics is a vital part of my life. What about combining them? What about…? This morning, it finally hit me. Every idea not written because I was contemplating its worth and value was just another way of procrastinating. As long as I do not write, no one can disapprove of my idea. No one can be offended by what is not written. No one can disagree with me. So, out of fear of what might happen, I have done nothing. However, it took me until now to realize that the opposite is true, as well. If I write, there is a chance that what I have to say will help someone, or at least make them smile.

A few days ago, I read the article, “When your  mother says she’s fat,” by Kasey Edwards. It is a letter from a daughter to her mother telling her mother how her own (the daughter’s) body image was formed by words said by the mother about her own body. Let me preface by saying that my mother has never been fat, nor will she ever be fat, so my thoughts did not go to my mother at all. The article made me think about what we are teaching our son. I want him to grow up knowing that he is strong and important. I want him to know that he has value. How can he believe that he has value when the people he looks to for guidance do not see their own value? Every time one of us says we are stupid, or fat, or ugly, it places in his mind an image of what that word means. If he is to be like us when he grows up, that means he will be stupid, or fat, or ugly as well. For him to know he has value, he has to know that we believe we have value as well.

Sometimes, we put ourselves down out of habit, or to be funny, or to be humble. One can still be humble without self-depreciation. Words are powerful, and how we choose to use them can change a life–for good or bad.

If you have a child (or if you ever were a child) read Kasey Edward’s article. It was powerful enough for me to rethink how I present myself. Yes, I am still trying to lose weight, but not to make me beautiful. I just want to keep up with my son!

So, there you have it. I am on a learning adventure, and will gladly share it with you. Maybe you will see a recipe, a craft, or even my latest crazy idea that might just work.