May all the blessings of heaven rain down upon you and yours. ~Irish blessing

After lengthy wrestling with myself, I’ve come to the decision to shutter this blog home of mine that I’ve been managing for 16 (!!) years.

I started Musings by an ND Domer’s Mom when my son went off to college, intending to make it a four-year chronicle of college life, with advice for other parents whose kids were taking a similar journey.

(I’d learned at a writing seminar that a “platform” — one cornerstone of which was blogging — was crucial to an author’s success, and I hoped to give my work-in-progress every chance of victory.)

Over time, my focus expanded. I’ve challenged myself to write poetry, taken seasonal photos showing Central Illinois beauty, and penned tributes to those who have left this earth too soon.

I’ve allowed two Shelties (Dallas and Monkey) to share their unique and often humorous takes on life around here.

I’ve participated in photo challenges, blog awards, and Walktobers (since 2017); written about healing gemstones, community band, and the angst of writing and publishing; ranted on topics I feel strongly about; and run guessing-game contests.

I’ve also suffered through many a WordPress technical snafu!

While my posts largely went unnoticed at first, as I became more comfy in my blogging voice, readers arrived! Some became regular commenters; others only replied when a post tickled their fancy.

Some of the folks I’ve conversed with over the years have now quit blogging, leaving a void where their words were.

Some quit because of overly snarky or threatening comments. Others tired of making the effort to find interesting things to say. Still others found themselves lacking time for blogging because of other commitments.

The majority of interactions here have been delightful. Laugh-out-loud repartee, links to additional resources, the true give-and-take that blogging was meant to be.

And I’ve enjoyed all of it.

Perhaps that’s the hardest part of saying farewell: losing contact with dear ones that I’ve come to call my friends. Across the country and overseas.

So, I reserve the right to drop by and see what you’re all up to, maybe even adding my two cents to the discussion. And I might start another blog somewhere down the road.

Thanks for joining me on the journey. Thanks for your support and friendship. Never doubt you’re special in my eyes.

I wish you well. As Star Trek‘s Dr. Spock would say, “Live long and prosper.”

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