Five years ago today, I put the first Cloistered Heart post here, in this little cloistered corner of the Internet. I had no idea what to expect. The basic ideas and analogies of the Cloistered Heart were already more than twenty years old by that time... could they be squeezed into blog posts? Come to think of it, what was a blog post anyway? I had virtually no idea.
What I did have was an inspiration "to set up a website," and that seemed to be from God. I had the help of a computer-educated son who knew enough about blogs to set me up with a template. I knew others who were striving to live in the world with "cloistered hearts," and who were willing to follow along with what I wrote and give input. And I had friends like Rose.
You might remember Rose. She has shared some special insights with us. In fact, this morning I looked at five years' worth of blog statistics and - just as I suspected - the "most viewed post" on this site has remained the all time favorite of readers since shortly after it was posted. Seeing that, I decided to have a bit of fun.
(ta-daaaaaaa)
How Are We Living Monasticism of the Heart?
And to everyone here: thank you for your kind comments, your friendship, your companionship, your prayers over these last five years. You really have no idea what a gift you are to me. I just ask God to let you know.
Oh, and by the way - captchas (those annoying things we have to decipher before we can comment on websites) are removed from here for the time being - so leaving a comment shouldn't be much trouble.
If you have a minute, stop and say hi!
Congratulations!! I came accross your blog just a few weeks ago and have enjoyed browsing around reading posts past and present.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading more inspirational thoughts :-)
Thank you! I'm really glad you're here :).
DeleteHappy Anniversary, Nancy! And Happy Feast of the Archangels!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for all you do here.
Thanks so much, Marie!
DeleteCongratulations, Nancy! You have blessed us tremendously over the years and I am so thankful that you figured out what a blog post was :) (I didn't know what a blog post was either!)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you figured out what a blog post was too, Mary :). And thanks!
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ReplyDelete☆ ☆ ♥ ☆ ♥ ☆Congratulations☆ ♥ ☆ ♥ ☆ ☆
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Happy Anniversary, Nancy.
Lily
What a delightful greeting, Lily! I am sitting here smiling at the computer screen as I look at it :). Thank you so much.
DeleteHi Nancy, I didn't read your first post when you posted it, but when I started to read your blog about 4 years ago, I did go back to the beginning to catch up. I can't began to even say what your post has meant to me. Before I found "your blessing" I thought I was the only person who wanted to have a cloistered heart. It has helped me so much to read that there are others like us, who want to live in a cloistered heart in today's crazy world. I feel like I am just rambling , so Nancy just know how much you are loved by me and how much you have helped me grow closer to Jesus the last 4 years of reading your post. I can look at myself in the mirror every morning and know " I am OK" BTW I know you are wondering, I am 62, happily married 42 years, 3 children and 5 grandchildren . Got Bless you Nancy for listening to God and putting your thoughts down for others to read. Pris
ReplyDeletePris, I hope you see this reply! I just checked my "spam" folder for the 1st time in many many months (it's Nov. 21 as I write this) and somehow your wonderful comment got stuck over there... I had never seen it nor known it existed. I don't know why or how the automatic blog server "decides" such things, but now I know I really should check now and then! There were other "real" comments stranded there as well. I'm SO glad I now know you, and of YOUR cloistered heart! Thank you so much, and I do hope you see this!!
DeleteCongratulations on five years! And thank you for your beautiful posts; they have meant a lot to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann!
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