So I’ve spent a while trying to come up with the perfect name for a blog. What I’ve discovered is that a lot of the good names are already taken, a result, I believe, of the fact that I’m always about a decade behind the game when it comes to technology. But I think Lofty Minded works for me. Imagining that I have something to say that others can relate to or care about seems a little lofty. And all along the way I’m going to try to be mindful of what I say, and how I say it. One of my very best friends has set a good example of mindfulness. She thinks before she talks and as a result I trust that she will keep my secrets, give good advice and never respond in a way that will cause her to have regrets later on.
Right off the bat I want to say thanks to my cousin Bob for encouraging me to get my writing out there. In a strange turn of events involving facebook I connected with him and know him better now than I ever did in the real world. Maybe it’s because we have several state lines between us that I’ve trusted him to read some of my writing. He’s always been kind, even when we’ve disagreed politically and more importantly, when I made him suffer through my not-so-good poetry phase.
What’s this blog going to be about you ask? Well, sorry to let you down, but I don’t know yet. After giving it some thought though I decided to start it anyhow. One thing I’ve learned about myself that if I think too much about doing something, I tend not to do it. I don’t want to rule any topic out at this point, although I’m going to shy away from politics for now. What’s been on my mind lately is church, so that’s where I’m going to start.
I haven’t been a churchgoer for many years, and I don’t plan on going back. But recently I’ve been missing aspects of it. I miss the social network that comes with church attendance. When my daughter was born 14 years ago the Methodist ladies made sure I didn’t have to cook a meal for two weeks. That’s the sort of thing I miss. And the music. I don’t have many opportunities to sing (besides in the car or the shower) any more, and I do love the magic that happens when a roomful of people raise their voices together. Most of my family of origin still adheres to the denomination I grew up in, the Assemblies of God Church, so by not attending or believing in its doctrine anymore, I feel a little like an outsider, which is a drag.
When it comes down to it, there’s still more about church that I don’t miss, so I won’t be changing my Sunday morning routine any time soon. I’m just finally able to recognize that I have a few empty spots in my life since I stopped going.
Lofty Minded in Alaska 