Comm:unity - Lost in Arles

It is very bittersweet for me to announce that this is the final posting for the “By Invitation Only” group, who have been getting together from all over the world to blog about a common theme for five years now. This project was the idea of Marsha Harris at Splenderosa and involves some spectacularly talented women – truly, I was honored to have been asked to participate, especially as I was one of the only members to have a “small” blog when I joined. I have loved linking up with everyone’s different perspectives each month and often tried to come up with something special for BIO in a bendy twisty way that sort of matched the theme – not always easy as I stubbornly make all of my own content! But the result was that some of my favorite, favorite posts have come out of this collaboration such as:
http://lostinarles.blogspot.fr/2012/09/the-weight-of-cricket.html
http://lostinarles.blogspot.fr/2013/09/the-jangle-of-times-keys.html
http://lostinarles.blogspot.fr/2014/04/ten-things-to-take-on-cruise-for-by.html
and just because the timing is so appropriate
http://lostinarles.blogspot.fr/2013/12/snow-on-lavender-fields-christmas.html

For this month, the ever-talented Vicki Archer suggested that we talk about blogging…the highs and the lows…where it is at and where we feel that it is going.

At the end of last October, before my fifth anniversary of blogging here at Lost in Arles, I gave a lot of thought to this subject. I shared some of my thoughts then and was so overwhelmed by your generous responses that I still haven’t caught my breath. You are all most certainly the “high”s (and the “low”s too when you leave, I admit it is something that I will never take lightly) but so is the thrill of a great afternoon passing in the blink of an eye until I wake up after having hit “publish.”

I realize very well that blogging has evolved enormously in these past five years…but at such a rapid rate that I am fairly sure that my “old-school” style of publishing when I want and what I want is also boomeranging back to what is appealing as well. At least those of you that are here – that goes without saying! Authenticity is such an important word to me. A friend recently jokingly called me a “phony” and I thought that my head was going to explode! Being sincere is never out of fashion in my book…

…because through direct (even while virtual) communication we can find unity together.

And I don’t know about you but in this crazy beautiful world I need you all more and more. We are none of us invisible or unimportant.

So finally, a blog that has a sense of community is what is interesting to me today and I honestly think that is the direction that we are headed towards, no matter what the subject matter is finally…

…and I can share a few examples of people who I feel are doing this effortlessly and meaningfully:

http://momastery.com/blog/

http://thebloggess.com/

http://havesomedecorum.blogspot.fr/

In each of these blogs, the readers not only react to the author but also to each other in a really wonderful way. I have always been something of an outsider but being able to make connections through the mind-boggling big-small world is something that I still can’t wrap my head around. But my heart? I am all in.

So as this door is closing, I would just like to say thank you to all of those who have supported or been a part of By Invitation Only. I am extremely proud to have created in the midst of such a fine comm:unity and that I have made quite a friendships out of it too is just the icing on what was a very delicious cake.

To read all of the fantastic posts from my amazing colleagues (and Marsha has requested that we all chime in for this final post), please do click:

http://splenderosa.blogspot.fr/2015/12/by-invitation-only-final-post.html

Thank you, Marsha for an amazing run and Brava!

But you know how the saying goes, yes? When one door closes…another opens…

What about the door above? Curious?

Then stay tuned…

79 comments

Heather, I feel the same way about you! Good friendship is worth its weight in gold! Hope you had a lovely Christmas!

Merci SAJ, I owe you a bottle of CDR. 😉 !

I'm pretty sure they are the berries of Boston Ivy.

I am going to try, Silke! I have a whole series that I am struggling to put together that is fun and definitely made for dreaming! Thank you as always for your wonderful support, dear friend.

Such beautiful photos, Heather! The good, old "Heather takes us along to let us dream"-thing. That house on the first image, wow.
The choice of colours, the cats blue eyes, the blue berries of that plant, just wonderful.
I hope you'll give us all a Christmas gift with another post before Chrismas Eve. Even only a small one. That would be gorgeous! (;

you did tempt me! i asked if you had a link. a girl can dream.

Loree, I can't imagine why any of your readers would ever want to leave, truly, so I think that you are quite right in wondering about the Blogger Only business which I have had complaints of myself. But I will say that there is no "quick money" to be made in blogging. My friends who treat their blogs as a business work 500 times harder than I do to make it happen! More! But I like that we are arriving at a place where blogs like yours and mine that are smaller and personal are also appreciated for what they are too. We need to keep going! Sending wishes for a very Merry Christmas to you and your family on Malte from Provence,
xo
H

I don't Jackie…I am hopeless for that sort of thing! I would think a type of currant but truly have no idea.
PS. Didn't I tempt you by telling you that house is for sale? I tried! 😉

Thank you for the gorgeous gift of this beautiful Herman Hesse quote as well as your friendship Karin. Wishing you much beauty for this holiday season. And yes, like you, I was always very proud to be a part of the world community that BIO represented!
xo

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