Three years ago I started a blog for my family. Daily photos, anecdotes, milestones and pediatrician visit statistics.
Never in a million years would I have guessed that that blog would have turned into this blog and the community that has given me so much. I have felt so much support from my blogging friends, through thick and thin. Day after day you all show up and read what I have to write, and we gain so much from each other. I try to make my rounds, and in doing so ~ this virtual visiting ~ we become friends and confidants and even in some cases bosom friends {a la Anne Shirley... }.
Hyacynth, one of those bosom friends, has been around my blog almost as long as I have. She's stuck with me as I tried to find my voice and figure out what I needed from this space. I've seen her grow as a mother, a person, woman and writer. So when she asked to talk to me on the phone I didn't give it a second thought.
She called because she had this brilliant idea. She wanted to make more connections happen. More friendships and community. We brainstormed while talking as though we were long time friends {because we are!} and eventually along with a few other blogging friends came up with Bigger Picture Blogs.
Bigger Picture Blogs was created for community. To help build our blogging friendships. To find new friendships through dialog and virtual chai lattes. These relationships, for us, are very real. They enhance our lives on a daily basis. We make room for them when they beckon, because they fill some kind of a void that we're all looking for. Whether it's sparking creativity, or finding like minded mamas to share thoughts and ideas with, or even if it's just knowing that someone out there has been where you are today, we're here reading and writing and posting for a reason.
We've created a few ways to connect.
We started a Blog Frog Community to give us space to create dialog. Questions, thoughts, continuations of blog posts; if there's something that you read that strikes you, and you want to further discuss, we hope you'll join us by starting a new discussion. If you have a question {"how do you get grape juice stains out of my favorite sweater!?!"} or have an announcement to share, we hope you'll join us. If you simply want to check in and feel a little less lonely at whatever point in life you're at, we hope you'll join us.
Starting June 24th we'll be hosting a weekly link up called Bigger Picture Moment. Why June 24th you ask? We'll be running this link up on Thursdays, but all of the founders of Bigger Picture Blogs are going to be participating in Maegan's Creative Bootcamp which runs until the 18th of June. We want to take a little bit of pressure off of ourselves and wait until we've completed the bootcamp before we jump into a weekly link up :) That being said, we also wanted to give you all some time to contemplate YOUR first Bigger Picture Moment. Faith, motherhood, parenting, love, life in general, it's open to interpretation. Tell us about a Moment that led you to think about and take notice of the Bigger Picture in your life. Each week the founders of BPB will rotate who hosts the actual link up {Mr. Linky or whatever the kids are using these days for putting all of our links in one spot to share... } that way you can get an extra chance to check us all out. We hope with the link up you'll find some time to visit other participants and take a peek at their Moment of the week as well.
Did I not mention who the founders are? Forgive me... there's a lot of information I simply can't wait to share!
Hyacynth, who blogs at Undercover Mother, is the mastermind behind it all. She's an inspiration with her consistently excellent posts about finding joy while weaving through motherhood. Maegan blogs at Madeline Bea: Life Set to Words, and never fails to inspire me through not only her words but her incredible photography {and she's the one running Creative Bootcamp... }. Melissa of Peanut Butter in My Hair writes so honestly and openly, she takes my breath away, and leaves me in awe of her spunk! And last, but never least, Sarah from This Heavenly Life is the epitome of sweet. She exudes kindness and love, and I would give anything to be on a playdate with her and her girls. Though I'd give anything to visit with any one of these ladies, with or without their kids! Oh, and myself. I'm proud to say I'm one of the founders of this endeavor.
So there you have it. Bigger Picture Blogs. I hope you'll spend some time checking us out, getting to know the spaces we've created to enhance this fantastic community of bloggers we're already a part of. As far as my space? It'll stay the same, with an additional button or two on the sidebars. We've made a promise to each other to continue to honor each other and our own voices, and to encourage each other to write from our hearts.
We're so very excited about this adventure we're on, and hope you'll join us in some aspect. Whether it's the linking up with Bigger Picture Moments, Blog Frog, or just using this is a way to check out and find other bloggers... if you come out from our spaces with just one person that you connect with, that's one friend you might not have had otherwise.
And don't worry, we've got a few other tricks up our sleeves... so stay tuned! You never know where this blogging world will take you!