Bully For Me

Dig out the party-poppers; unfurl the streamers; place upon your noggin a conical hat for this, my much loved readers, is my 200th Postaversary.

Yes, I taxed you all (well, some of you only came to this recently, so take that 'all' with a pinch of saltiest salt) with two-hundred outbursts. 60,000-ish words of stuff that poured forth without provocation over a year-less-twenty days! I have loved you in writing for approaching 70 hours of my life (if you take my word for it that it normally takes me twenty minutes to write each post [5 to write, 15 to spell-check badly]). That is my gift to you, brothers and sisters - now hand me my O.B.E. for services to sleep enhancement. I have been grumpy, opinionated, (I think) funny at times, poignant at times, boring at times, interesting at times, wrong at times, right at times but always sincere. Each single thing that I have written here has emerged in my thoughts in the twenty-four hours prior to writing, so if some of this stuff seemed untested, instinctive or raw - blame my need and wish to act spontaneously, and in blog terms, 'go where called'.

So, what have I learned from this near-three-day blogathon? 

1. Despite every protestation to the contrary, I still can't believe that I am a priest, or that I am right for the job.

2. I can't believe that anyone, let alone the volume of you who do, would ever stop to read this crud once, never mind over and over.

3. I know a little about lots, and not a lot about much.

4. I write well - well, I enjoy it, if that counts. 

5. I am glad that I do this - I think it has meaning somewhere and to someone.

6. I am the luckiest man alive - I have my health, my family, my ministry, and opportunity (and a wide-brim hat) - and reading back on stuff reminds me of that even when I lose sight of it from time to time in the midst of daily life.

7. This is exposing stuff and the words on the page are only a fraction of what is being said, about me, if not the subject at hand.

8. There is a place for blogs in our world, and in the world where God calls us to minister to others.

9. Being a 'bloke' is something I am now proud of, and will never apologise for it again.

10. I owe you, dear Reader, a debt of gratitude that I can never repay.

Thank you all for sharing this journey with me. I love all this, but without you, it would have stopped being fun and meaningful many moons ago. 

May God (or what guiding light you follow) bless you and yours!