See Nancy Return

If I had a nickel. That's right, if I had a nickel for each time I thought, "Hey busy self, you know you really want to start blogging again, why don't you?", I'd have enough money to pay someone to blog for me. But then I'd have to rename my blog "See Nancy Go" or "See Someone Sub". Well, I think the better option would be to sit myself down for some blog time and give those few followers that I once sucked into my "web", something essentially entertaining, perhaps prolific, certainly sentimental, completely compelling, or significantly sanguine. Which adjective am I in the mood for? I don't know. I'll just dive in and see where it leads me.  

So what have I been up you might ask, wondering if I might have wandered into some kind of blogging black hole. Well besides the usual life obligations that pile up when you turn your back for more than a minute, or the many mundane tasks that multiply if you don't stay one step ahead of yourself, I've been job searching, doing home projects, cheering on two cross country teams, hosting holiday parties, venturing into photography, playing referee between teenagers, and probably more than I can even keep track of. 

I really need to focus on the photography because I love it and I might as well make a few dollars doing something that inspires me and gets me out of the house by myself, away from teenage boys that think they are smarter than me. Take a look at some of my subject matter. Does anything inspire you? Hopefully something will spark a passion in you, or strike a cord in some way.

~ Joplin, Missouri Tornado Disaster ~

~ Fall on the Farm ~

~ The 3rd Regiment Readies for Battle ~

~ Civil War Soldier-to-Be ~

~ Menacing Metal No Match for EF5 Tornado ~

~ Spring Beauty in the Morning Sun ~

~ The American Spirit Flies in Joplin, Missouri ~

~ Off the Beaten Road ~

~ Contemplating the Race Results ~

~ What the Tornado Took from One Place and Brought from Another ~

~ The Tornado Cleans House ~

You'll notice that several of these photographs depict extreme tornado damage. I shot those images in Joplin, Missouri early this past summer when I spent two weeks as a disaster relief volunteer just four weeks after the tornado hit. I won't go into details here, but you can visit one of my other blogs (I have three), that is specifically about my experiences in Joplin. I never finished all the blogging I intended to do but I hope to add to it in the near future.

What I would like to do at this point is to offer some advice, urge you to take notice, or strike a cord in your heart to give some thought to volunteering for some kind of out-of-the-ordinary work. Challenge yourself to do what you cannot imagine yourself doing and I promise, you will never regret it. It doesn't have to be for two weeks as I was fortunate enough to experience. One or two days, a week, whatever you can offer. Not only did I find myself accomplishing things that I never imagined, particularly because I am no longer in my 30's (ssshhh...or my 40's) and I am a single mom still raising my children, but I had the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people from all over the world. I expected to be of some kind of help, that goes without saying. I expected to learn a little about my abilities to challenge myself. I expected to have an adventure of sorts, whether big or small and it didn't matter. What I did not expect was to work alongside such a diverse group of people in age, ability, background, and lifestyle to name a few. I didn't expect to be so humbled by the thanks and appreciation of those who were affected by the disaster or knew someone who was. I didn't expect to feel like I was intruding on the privacy of those I helped and at the same time feel like I was part of some kind of big extended family. And most of all, I did not expect to be featured with two other volunteers in a book being written by another volunteer that tells our stories of why we chose to come to Joplin to join the relief effort as well as what we learned from the experience.


You'll never know how you will be affected, changed, or challenged until you take that first step and commit to something somewhat, if not totally out of your comfort zone. Do something for someone in need and in doing so, you'll be amazed by what you'll come away with. 


For myself, I'm still processing the whole experience. It's been eight months since I returned and yet very few days go by that I don't think of Joplin, what I saw, what I experienced, who I met, or what I still want to do. Will I go back? I can see that happening in the near future. 


Well, I hope you are still with me. I'm not sure which adjective caught your attention in this longer-than-expected post. But I hope it gave you something that caught your attention, made you smile, or made you take notice of something you might not have thought about. 


Please do come back to my little world in blogland. I'm glad to be back! I'd love to read some comments here so don't be shy.