When I started my blog back in 2019 the world was a different place. It felt lighter. Less heavy. More joyful.

My kids were all still in school. My older 2 were in college and my youngest was in her Junior year of high school.

It was a time when I was both distracted by all the goings on within our family and inspired all at the same time. Life felt fun. Fresh. New friends. Old friends. New connections. New reflections. A full life.

I’ve always connected with friends, family and strangers through my stories. I love sharing (and often over-sharing). Back then, blogging felt like a fun creative outlet. And it was. I had a lot of “material” to draw from. (Side note: My oldest daughter was my original unofficial editor. Once I gained my confidence, I had to fire her…wink, wink)

Interestingly, I found myself sharing a lot about my parents. They’ve been gone a very long time but continue to live on inside me…more so than I ever realized.

When I created my blog there were certain prompts in the blog template. One was “Your Story.” I now cringe thinking about what I wrote. “My Story” focused on the fact that I had a happy life even though I lost both my parents by the time I was 16 years old. Although that is true, was that really “My Story?” Life changing? Yes. My whole story? No.

For most of my life, the minute someone learned that my brothers and I lost our parents so young, the questions started: Who raised you? What happened? How did you cope? It became part of my identity because there was so much to unpack. And while it shaped me, it wasn’t the only thing that defined me.

So here I am, starting again. Why not? New stories. Clean slate. All my old essays from my original blog have been taken down. The original recipes remain. ‘My story?” I don’t know if I will fill that part in this time around. I think it’s still unfolding…

And one last thing…I’m celebrating a BIG milestone birthday in less than a month. I feel excited, curious and ready! I can’t wait to experience all the adventures that await. I hope this next decade is a real page turner…

Dishing With Linda Blog Take 2…