I got inspired while hanging out with my husband at our favorite weekend spot, Café Calypso (a little coffee shop inside Half-Price Books). Larry and I were there drinking coffee and listing to the Wayne Campbell Band (one of the local groups that plays there on weekends). As I often do, I was looking at a book while I was listening.

Larry had some coupons, so I decided to find some books for my oldest grandson’s birthday present. I found a historical fiction book from a series for young readers: _My Name is America: The Journal of Joshua Loper - A Black Cowboy_. This fictitious journal was set in 1871 on the Chisholm Tail. As I read the book, I got caught up in the story and the character of Joshua Loper. I really liked the fact that the book was written as if it were a journal. I remembered how much I enjoyed reading _The Diary of Anne Frank_ when I was much younger. Even as I was reading “Joshua’s journal,” I kept thinking “This is a blog.”

I suddenly realized what the real interest was in blogging for both the writer and the reader. Blogging helps the writer capture his or her thoughts on a regular basis. It provides an opportunity to record personal history. And even though the day to day story might seem routine, the story of one’s life is always interesting. And so for the reader, a blog becomes the story of another person’s life as well as giving insight into that person’s ideas and thoughts on life.

On several occasions in the book I was reading, Joshua mentions in his journal “Sunday” and how he “missed it again.” This was a reference to his promise to his “mama” to remember the Lord and to pray on Sundays. I was touched by these simple entries because I liked the way Joshua’s “mama” was depicted as a woman of faith. And by placing these few simple entries in Joshua’s journal, the author had given me insight into both Joshua’s character and his mother.

So here I am starting my blog on a Sunday morning. Sunday’s are special days for me, too. My husband and I are Christians and we try to “set aside” this “first day of the week” and “remember Him.” We aren’t members of any traditional or institutional church, though. Our lack of church affiliation is not for lack of interest, nor is it a rejection of brethren who do choose institutional church. Rather, it is a matter of conviction. The fact is we do fellowship with other believers, we just meet in homes. We also occasionally visit the institutional churches our children attend.

We aren't as consistent at meeting as we’d like to be. That’s mostly my fault. My midwife schedule is SO unpredictable. But we do meet with a few other believers as regularly as my schedule will allow.

It’s funny. Our belief about fellowship and assembling with other believers is not unlike our belief about birth. Where others choose a more institutional setting, we choose to be non-institutional and meet in our home (or someone else’s home).

It’s tempting to keep on writing, now that I’ve begun. But I’ll try to keep my entries brief since I hope to write more often. :-)