What is the attraction? And who am I?

What is the attraction to blogging? I've heard a few ideas on this question in the past, but as I have never had a blog until now, I have never really thought seriously about it until now. I think for me, blogging is akin to diary writing or journal writing, although I never was able to keep either of those going for more than a few entries, as a young child, teenager, or even now. I think there is an important difference between blogging and, say, journalling in that a blog is instantly public, and often written with an audience in mind, or at least with the knowledge that it is accessable. While journalling can be public, I think sending a blog post out into the wide open space of the internet is quite different; with a journal you can usually directly control who has access to your entries. With a blog, once your words are published, they are out there, you have little to no control over who sees it--where are they from, why they care what you have to say...

I think a blog also gives people hope that someone does care, and for some, the hope that what they say will be enjoyed by others, that it could be a bright spot in someone's otherwise dreary day, a chance for someone to find others who understand what they are going through, or even a chance to make a real difference, on whatever level, from a single life to the world.

I hope that my blog is enjoyed by those who come across it, but I know I can't please everyone, and not everyone can understand or relate to what I will say, or even care. I don't care. This is my place to write. This is my place to write to myself, to friends, to God, to those who will listen. And if my words make even one person smile, that is success enough for me, even if I never know who I've touched.

To close my first post, I would like to explain the name. Eala Earendel is the beginning of a verse of Old English poetry, from a poem called Christ, which is attributed to a poet called Cynewulf [pronounced KIN-a-wulf]. This poem is found in a medieval manuscript called The Exeter Book. The words Eala Earendel mean "Hail Earendel," and the phrase from the poem goes on like this:

Eala Earendel, engla beorhtast,
ofer middangeard monnum sended,
ond soðfæsta sunnan leoma,
torht ofer tunglas, þu tida gehwane
of sylfum þe symle inlihtes!

"Hail Earendel, brightest of angels,
over middle-earth sent to men,
and the sun's radiance of truth,
of brilliance exceeding the stars, you each season
by yourself illuminate!"

While I am not necessarily claiming or aiming to be a beacon of light to the world, I do hope to shed light on that which compells me and moves me, to share with those who will listen that which is close to my heart and that which I love. I hope you enjoy what comes.