This blog was started by my late husband, Bob Reed when we moved to Ghana in 2009. He had been writing a weekly blog under the name "Reeds in Liberia" since 2005, and as that name no longer fit, he switched to Reeds in the Wind. When he passed away in March 2010, I had contributed only two or three posts in five years.
I had a decision to make regarding the blog, and I thought I might make a few entries and then let it go. It wasn't my thing; it was his. He was pithy, humorous, and wise; I didn't think I had the chops. But then I found healing and fellowship by journaling my journey as a widow, a single mom, and doing ministry far away from home in Ghana. Many of you encouraged me and prayed for me along the way.
Fast forward to today.
There have been 746 posts on this blog, of which I have written approximately 700(!). There have been 667,000 page views. Discipling Marketplace Leaders was born in the process. My children are grown and married. I am remarried. Most of my entries are about integrating faith and work, and I usually copy what I write here onto the DML blog. It has become redundant.
So I think it's time for this blog to close and only write through the DML blog.
I have wondered about this over the past two years, especially as my voice has become associated with "BAM and the Church," and I no longer feel free to write about other topics of interest to me, especially those that may be considered divisive.
I've been reluctant to close it, as it is one of the very few connections I still feel with Bob. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him or talk about him. [Michael is so very gracious in this, and he now knows many "Bob quotes" and references. He knows that I can miss Bob and still love Michael fully. It's not a zero-sum game.]
These are Bob's words, still on this blog:
"The wind blows where it wills." That was Jesus, who compared the spirit of God to the wind. The Reeds have followed the Wind from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Monrovia, Liberia, then to Accra, Ghana. Join us as we seek to understand what it means to be "shaken by the Wind."
I am thankful to Bob for pushing me to be a Reed in the Wind. Indeed, there has been great shaking over the years, but God has been faithful, and I can truly sing that He is a "good, good Father."
I won't stop writing blogs, but it will now only be posted on the DML blog site. I might also back off to writing every other week instead of every week, since writing weekly is a lot, and I'm not looking to fill space but to contribute to this topic in a meaningful way.
Of late, you may have noticed that the blog is coming from my DML email address, with the subject line "DML Blog," as a means of transition.
I hope you will continue this journey with me. As always, you may unsubscribe at any time, and I will fully understand.
Thank you for keeping me company. I pray that what you have read has blessed you as much as your company has blessed me.
