We heal a bit every time we are heard, seen, and cared for #BloggerDay

Today, on August 5th, we celebrate #BloggerDay. It’s hard to believe it’s been fifteen years since I first launched Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer!

If I had known back then what I know now, I might have picked a different name. I’m acutely aware that the word “journey” doesn’t resonate with everyone, but let’s save that debate for another day! Just know that I use the term metaphorically, much like Wendell Berry, who said, “. . .and the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home.”

Fifteen years ago I believed there was an end to the path of breast cancer, a day when it would all be “over.” That day never came. Instead, I’ve realized that my journey isn’t beyond breast cancer but with it.

What I didn’t know then is that the path of breast cancer is a journey without end.

I have written before about why I started this blog. How I struggled after treatment ended with depression and a feeling of being cut adrift. How I found plenty of resources for those going through treatment, but less about those who had come out the other side.

Here’s some of what I wrote at the time. “I was 34 years of age when I hit was hit with a juggernaut – the metaphorical juggernaut of the words “you’ve got cancer”. I went through nine months of treatment for my disease and I coped quite well with this period, but it was when my cancer treatment finally ended that the full impact of what had happened hit me.”

Writing this blog and linking to a community of like-minded bloggers has been the single most empowering thing that I have done to come to terms with cancer.  It has enriched my experience, brought new friendships into my life, and expanded my horizons like nothing else.  Sometimes the very act of writing our story and having it heard and acknowledged can go a long way towards healing our wounded selves; to quote Riva Greenberg: “We heal a bit every time we are heard, seen, and cared for”. Blogging in a community we bear witness to our own life and to others; we find strength and solace for the journey.

Pat Schneider in her book Writing Alone and with Others observed: “When we write, we create, and when we offer our creation to one another, we close the wound of loneliness, and may participate in healing the broken world. Our words, our truth, our imagining, our dreaming, may be the best gifts we have to give.”

Truthfully, I ran out of things to say on this blog a long time ago. I rarely write anything original these days. This space has changed for me. I  am far more interested in what you have to say. The weekly round-up is the real reason why I keep this going. I want to be able to encourage new voices to be heard in the blogosphere. I’m lucky to still have a high readership and if I can use this platform to amplify new voices then that makes me very happy indeed.

I still remember starting my blog and the silence that greeted it. I don’t want new bloggers to feel that way. I want them to know there’s a space here for them to be seen and to grow into their unique voices. Watching someone new to the blogosphere flourish brings me immense joy.

So, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below. Have I missed any new blogs in the weekly round-up? What has blogging meant to you? Share your challenges, questions, or words of encouragement for new bloggers. Let’s keep this community vibrant and welcoming!