fernando

so, my little world of blogging is small.  I have my 7-10 blogs that I read daily, or every second day, as time and small children permit.  I read three types of blogs...my friends in real life, crafty/artsy/creative blogs and people-I-could-be-friends-with-in-real-life-if-they-lived-in-my-town blogs.  the first two categories are a bit of a no-brainer.  the last category has turned into a bit of a circle of linked blogs.  I started with one, which led to a recommendation of another, and so forth.  some of these I've been following for a couple of years and others, just months.  some I get daily-ish updates in my inbox and others, I read for an hour or so every couple of weeks.  there are a couple where I'm brave enough to leave comments and others where I just ponder in my own head.  regardless, these people have allowed me into their lives, through their blogs.  I guess in the same way I let you into my life right here.  and many of these people I also follow on twitter.  just 'cause.

all of that to say this.  I follow a blog on a semi-regular basis.  her name is sara.  and I am not going to tell you the whole story...go read for yourself!!!  I started reading her blog because it was part of the circle of linked-recommended-friend-happy blogs.  and last week, my little blog world and twitter feed started trending in my brain.  sara is really sick.  not blogging.  dying.  and the words "choose joy" started resonating from twitter to blog back to twitter.  and I had a moment.  for this woman that I don't know face to face.  chances are she doesn't know my name.  or my story.  but I know hers.  and we have  a commonality.  we both love jesus.  and we both "know" the same people in the cyber world.  and that makes her my sister.  my friend.

I began to reflect on the words:  choose joy.  there are just so many layers there.  it represents sara and her life, so well lived.  it honours her legacy.  it's a reminder that like so many good things, we can always choose.  and joy - it's not the same as being happy.  it's better.  it's up on the list sandwiched between love and peace.  sara has lived with incredible pain.  and yet she chooses joy.  that perspective is amazing.  on so many levels.

as the week progressed, there began to be talk of tattoos.  so today I got one.  because for some reason I've been sucked into this cyber circle.  and although I feel like I am on the outside looking in, it's exactly where I am suppose to be.  connected by community, but for once, just listening.  and learning.  and getting new tattoos.  those two little words.  in sara's handwriting.  my life can't be the same anymore.