Happy birthday to me!

This blog is now 7 years old! When I started this adventure, it was on a whim that I'd had as I was beginning a new year and planning for a new adventure (life in the Netherlands). I hadn't expected that I'd enjoy it so much or that it'd last so long. But it has been a joy to do and I'm thankful that I started it. It has been good to have the opportunity to write informally, but also to practice expressing my experiences/thoughts in a way that is both positive and honest.

In honour of the birthday, I'm posting a word cloud of the blog.

For earlier versions of my blog in wordcloud (2006 and 2008), see my blog entry from 28 July 2008. A quick comparison shows that I still talk a lot about community, church, Amsterdam, God, the Bible, the Red Light District, and hope. But changed is the focus on the dissertation and Ezekiel, and Jeremiah has completely faded from the picture (he has since been replaced by "cat" who has been named after him). Another delightful change is that Jesus has made it into the top words.

And of great significance (and duly recorded on the blog): Matthijs has also been added to the picture!

my blog as a word cloud (2)

a couple of months after i began this blog, i created a word cloud of my blog. i looked again to see what my blog would look like as a word cloud - and see how the changes in my life over the past couple of years have been reflected in what i talk about most on the blog.

The following is the word cloud now:

and this is the word cloud from previously (4 march 2006):

and the changes in my life since then are reflected somewhat. i still talk about the big things happening in my life - although these have changed: previously, it was seminary and papers - and now it is jeremiah, biking and Amsterdam. and in both teaching is the same. and i still talk a lot about work and time - guess they're pretty important things for me, eh? and as far as other important things, i'm glad that still talk a lot about God and people and love and faith (although now it is focused more on christianity, church, and the crc).

and it's good to see them beside each other - to see again what is (still) important to me. and to be thankful to see some of the changes (especially things like biking and Amsterdam and Jeremiah being more part of life - things which all bring me joy). and to be thankful for things that have not changed.

cleaning up - posting new "older" posts

there have been some posts that have been sitting in my draft file for awhile: things i've thought about but just didn't quite edit it to a state that was publishable. some of those thoughts are still worth publishing, so as i clean up those posts, there'll probably be a few more extra entries here - and you'll be reading some new "older" posts (fortunately, as blogger can post-date publishing, there should be some delay between the postings).