people blog for different reasons. i practice therapeutic blogging.

i created this site, in large part, to deal with the frustration of being a closet atheist posing as a devout mormon. it gave me the space i needed to come to terms with and to articulate my unbelief, and to come into contact with others who struggle similarly.

after the tragic events of september 11th, i turned to blogging to voice my anger and frustration, my fear and helplessness. an army of bloggers and web designers turned to their craft to express their emotions and to do something positive in an atmosphere of blackness and depression. (remember those donation links which appeared on almost every site?)

a couple days ago, when faced with the news of yet another abduction and murder of an innocent child, i once again turned to mindonfire to help me deal with horrific realities this world sometimes (often?) tosses into our path.

blogging is different from other forms of written communication because it can at once be intensely personal and very public at the same time. i am the only editor and censor of this post. as soon as i hit the submit button, my greatest joys and my deepest fears are there for the entire world to see, if it chooses to look. the comments mechanism is risky too–i may be vulnerable to harsh criticism, but instead a steady stream of kindness flows in.

i want to foster conversation and communication. i hope that my blog posts don’t degenerate into isolated monologues. i love to hear your feedback. some of you are dear friends who keep in touch with me through the occasional response, but many of you i know only by the screen names you leave along with your thoughts. i love to learn from you. to this end, i’ve improved the feedback mechanism (it is now more like what i see on blogger-powered sites), and i will continue to tweak it.

it’s late, i’m tired, and i’m rambling. i’m afraid that this is not one of my quality posts. still, it felt good to spend a few minutes with all of you.

i blog to know that i am not alone::