The Smallest Drop

I've had a number of blogs over the years, but never a public blog. They've all had themes, each representing a different part in my journey of life. This one is no different.

As Alice Sebold writes in The Lovely Bones, "Each time I told my story, I lost a bit, the smallest drop of pain."

That is what I want this journal to represent. The smallest drop; the next step of my journey in life.

I have come a long way, from journal titles representing hopelessness, to ones representing what I wished to become. A survivor. A girl hoping to rise from the ashes of her past. And now, an empowered woman.

Telling my story accomplishes many purposes. It destroys the silence, the lies, and the pain of my past. It brings hope to others. It allows me to see where I came from, and to recognize how the hardest part of my life created the woman I am today. I am truly blessed.

I hope that these entries will allow you to get to know my stories -- both those of my past and those that are currently being written. This next year represents an unknown time in my life, and so I hope that you will take this journey with me.

I always take a ton of time to set up a blog, so you probably won't see any more entries until January 1st. That's when I intend to start writing in earnest. Each day, I will take a picture and write an entry. I have no idea what will happen, but what I do know is that this coming year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting I've had yet.

I am notoriously bad at keeping consistent day-to-day journals, so if I miss a day, please bug me. Comments are always welcome -- encouraged, in fact. I'd love to hear what you are thinking as well.

Rachel