Over the Fence

Have you ever had "over the fence" experiences. I'm talking about living in a neighbourhood or community or Church community where you were able to talk and be a part of a wide circle of people each with similar values and interests as you.
These are the experiences you read about in alot of the books we read aloud to our children. Where, if you had good or bad news you could share with someone, if you needed help there was someone there to help, and always if you were a child there were lots of children to play with.

I think these kind of relationships are rare these days. I think in our mobile society that if you have lived in the same area most of your life and know many people to share your life with you truly are blessed.
And even if you have lived in the same area for a long time you may not have found "kindred spirits" to share your life with.

I believe for many people the blogging world can give these "over the fence" experiences.
Not so long ago I don't think I would have said that. I have enjoyed visiting many blogs over the past few years and have a list of the ones I enjoy visiting. I do believe it IS visiting because the women on these blogs share their lives with us. Not their whole lives, but fragments, just as when you visit a friend you see part of her life, and not the whole. But as you visit your friend more often you gain a wider look into her life and develop a relationship with her. Now I am not advocating that ALL blogging friends can be the same as close on the ground friends, although as seen on many of the blogs I visit they have been as true as physically close friends are. They have been there in spirit, with offers of prayer and long distance packages etc.
In fact you can gain true friendship with a long distance friend as I personally know myself. Some of my dearest friends are women I have only met 1 or 2 times but we have shared experiences and love and caring over the phone. WE have shared of ourselves and had "over the fence" time together and that is why:::

I LOVE MY BLOG. I love it because it allows me my "over the fence " experience. It allows me to tell others about the people and things I love and the things I enjoy. To share bits and pieces of my life as I would in a 'real" life situation. It allows me to be me, and I believe my blog reflects the things that are important in my life: my Husband , our children, my Faith, family traditions, Homeschooling and the day to day things I enjoy (I love pink!).
This is more important to me because I don't have those experiences on a day to day basis.
I also believe there are a lot of other women out there who are in a similar situation. Who don't have close family nearby, or don't have homeschooling families nearby to co-op with or to visit with, or, who don't have large Catholic families to share the joys and struggles of raising those children in today's society.
Therefore I believe it is a blessing to have other women share their lives in the blogging world, and I know I have been thankful for glimpses into their lives. I have looked and say 'Ah yes that is so like what happens here'.

So I would like to say thank you to those many blogs( too many to list) for the opportunity to be encouraged by your sharing and allowing me to be "over the other side of your fence".

I would also say, I never realised that I wasn't fully in on the fence experience, because I was just a listener, now I am a talker "over my own fence" and I have the full fence experience and I LOVE it.

So if you have any "over the fence" experiences to share I would love to Listen and hopefully, we can become 'fence" friends.