I wouldn’t have remembered that this blog turned 4 years old if I didn’t receive an email from a stranger yesterday asking me why my site was down. Followed up by another email from a friend, and 2 private messages on Facebook, asking me the same thing.
See, my domain registration expires every 19th of June and I forgot to renew yesterday, which caused the downtime. Thanks, you guys, for letting me know.
I’ve always thought of this website as my “baby”, but I’m so glad that it’s not a real breathing baby because that means I’m a horrible mother for always forgetting her birthday. #badblogger
Disclaimers aside, hooray for four years! Of blogging. Of life. Of love. Of chasing dreams.
Four years ago
On June 19, 2009, I registered this domain name after so many years of hopping from one blog host to another. I don’t usually reference old blog posts because they’re embarrassing, at least those from 3-10 years ago, but just for today I invite you to CLICK HERE and read my first ever blog here at Chasingdreams.net. It’s embarrassing, I have to reiterate, because I ranted a lot of nonsense and negativity in that first post, but go ahead, READ IT ANYWAY. :)
Because I want you to see how much has changed since that day.
How I once saw my life as a tragedy, a failure.
How I registered a happy-sounding domain name to conceal my feelings of frustration and rejection.
How I merely wanted a place where I could express myself, not caring about what people would say or think.
And I want you to see how God has redeemed me and turned things around since then.
Four years later, this place has transformed into something more than just a venue for self-expression, or a sounding board when I’m feeling sad or frustrated about my life. Somewhere between then and now, Chasingdreams.net has become bigger than myself and my dreams.
The turning point
I like to think that I’ve grown somehow since then. And I know it’s not for me to say if my growth is obvious in the way I write or think, but I know in my heart that I’ve grown. I feel it. Because every time I start to write something, my mind zooms into that random stranger who would someday land on these pages, and I think about what she’s going through and how I could make a difference in her life.
Or I think about my babies, and how my thoughts (and the things I write about them) would impact their lives soon as they start reading and making sense out of these things.
Or I think about the chance, however small, that the stuff I write would encourage someone out there who’s going through a tough ordeal in her life, a heart break, a loss.
You have no idea how these things cross my mind and make me restless every single day—How I can make an impact to at least one person. How I can be a constant source of inspiration to my circles of influence. How I can make a difference in this world.
So thank you
To you who never get tired reading this stuff.
To you who approach me on Sunday afternoons to tell me how a post I’ve written resonates well with how you feel or what you think.
To you who get out of your way to leave me a comment or send me an email, short or long.
To you who lurk and not say anything—whoever you are, your hits are counted.
To you who lurk and not say anything, and then tell me months later that you’ve been lurking. ;)
To you who inspire me to keep writing and never quit chasing my dreams.
Finally, to the three of you with whom I start and end each day, whom God has so graciously used to make a wife, a mother, and a better person out of this once lost and purpose-less girl that I was..
Thank you. You’re God-sent. The least I can do is to pay it forward and to strive to be a blessing to others like you’ve been a blessing to me. It’s a tough call to impose upon one’s self, but allow me to do just that. :)
Base image found in Pinterest, addition of filter and words by me. Is this photo yours? Let me know so I can give you the credit.
Hi Riz! I’ve been reading your posts for sometime now I would like to thank you for what you’ve written. I’m one of the people who found inspiration reading your entries. you may not know it but you’ve helped me a lot during my dungeon experience. I thank God for using you to remind me of His unfailing love, goodness and undeserved blessings He’s been throwing my way. Waiting is truly the hardest challenge but knowing that there are others on the same boat has inspired me to go on. I completed my 30-day gratitude challenge (albeit only in my journal haha wala akong blog eh…) which I got to know about through your blog. I told a friend who underwent a similar dungeon experience about it and now he’s completed a 60-day gratitude challenge! yey! :-) I pray that God will continue to use you and your family (my those babies are so cute :-)) for His glory. Happy 4th birthday Chasing Dreams!
It’s 7 months later when I read this comment. Wow. Thanks Diana, for dropping by. Comments like yours make my day, even though from 7 months ago. I hope you’re still practising some gratitude challenge everyday. Spells a lot of difference, no?, when you live each day focusing on the blessings rather than the problems. Hope you find more things to be thankful for this 2014!
I tried to post a comment earlier but I couldn’t so I looked for you on Facebook and sent you a message there, hope that didn’t make you think I’m creepy >_<
Hee here's the message I wanted to post earlier:
"Because every time I start to write something, my mind zooms into that random stranger who would someday land on these pages, and I think about what she’s going through and how I could make a difference in her life."
THIS is exactly how I feel whenever I write about something personal. When I got my heart broken three years ago, I was devastated and thought I couldn't get over it, and I wrote about it A LOT. One of my posts was about how to deal with heartbreak, and I could see in my Statcounter that someone from the Las Pinas area visits it every day without fail. And then, after about six months, he/ she stopped visiting it. I'm happy about it because I choose to think that he/ she has already gotten over the heartbreak. As for me, it took over a year, and sometimes when I pause and think about it I admit I still feel a little hurt, but I know it is all for the best.
So there. I wish Chasing Dreams more blogging years. I am one of the many you have helped with your words and your thoughts. All the best!
Krissy! Glad you reposted your FB message here coz I wouldn’t have gotten it. I think I disabled PMs for non-friends. :)
Guess we’ve all somehow grown in our blogging journeys, one way or another. That’s a really nice story, whoever that person is from Las Pinas who kept visiting your site. Have you blogged that story? It feels good to know that all of this blogging caused some change in someone’s life, big or small.
Happy birthday, Chasing Dreams! Continue inspiring us, your readers! ;)
Lol. Thanks Joni! How about a joint food blog? :))
Happy 4th blog birthday! :) I still remember those days when I read your old posts in your daydreemz URL. Reading old, old blog entries is both fun and embarrassing, haha.
Anyway, I hardly comment anymore, but I want you to know that I always look forward to your posts. I’m still a fan, even after all these years. (Plus, photos of your babies always make my day brighter. :D) Many, many more blogging years, I hope? God bless you and your family, Riz. :)
Yay Tina! Thank you. Yup, good ol’ guitarchic / refineme days? :) It’s good to know someone from way back, most of the bloggers I follow from daydreemz days have disappeared na. More blogging years for us!