I have always had a site meter on my blog. You don't see it, it's the invisible kind. Over at my old blog site, I forgot to check it. Since beautiful Susie created my new site, I have had new people arrive. So thank you Susie! New ladies that I had no idea were out there have come to check out my new blogging home. Changing my blog has brought more readers and I did not expect that to happen but I love it!

I love going to the site meter and seeing that someone in Russia, Spain, Brazil, Canada, Thailand, Australia and France come to my site. If they come once, then they may have ended up on my page by accident but when I see that they are a returning visitor, I get excited! I have way more people that read than comment and that is totally okay with me. To see that someone has made a point to check out my site and see what I have written really makes me feel blessed and it also reminds me of the responsibility I have to maintain integrity on this site. Who knows! Maybe my favorite President, George W. is reading or better, his wife! Maybe Oprah is reading and will someday show up at my door with a limousine and plane ticket to her FAVORITE THINGS episode! (Which is only a few weeks away!!) You never know, do you? You just never know!

The other day one of my really good friends mentioned her pastor on her blog by his name. Well apparently someone googled this pastor's name, felt hate towards him and decided to BASH the pastor on my friend's site. My friend was hurt pretty bad and her comment moderator was not turned on. It is now! She decided to check it out on her site meter and actually figured out who said such bad things ANONYMOUSLY about her pastor. You see the person commented from their work laptop while traveling and it all showed up on the site meter. Everyone has an IP address! It's kind of like your fingerprint. Did you know that? Well the IP address showed this person's company and instantly my friend knew who it was. She deleted the comment of course and did nothing else. There was no confrontation to be made but my friend KNEW who it was. While the person tried to be anonymous, they failed. The IP address gave their hateful secret away. My friend was trying to brag on her pastor and a mean spirited former church member had so much hate in their heart, they googled the pastor, then slandered on my friend's blog. So an IP address isn't always great. An anonymous comment is a JOKE. You are never anonymous! Really I think it's a coward thing to do! It happened to me once too. Some tacky anonymous comments were coming in on my blog so I decided to check it out. I saw the city and state and time the comment was left and I knew. It's kind of shocking and that kind of discovery isn't great to discover but 99.9% of the time, the site meter is wonderful!

One of my close friends from Junior High and High School works in Austin at the capital. She is a librarian! Very smart just like another former librarian we all know, Laura Bush. Anyway, when she comes to my blog, I know! Otherwise I would think someone from my state capital in Austin was WATCHING me! Also I have those reading that work at hospitals, attend or work at Universities (Big universities), School Districts and many other places of business. I love it! I love these people that find what I have to say interesting or who knows maybe they come back every day to just be annoyed. I hope not!

Currently I have someone that is reading my blog every day during the week that has a fascinating IP address. Seriously, it's fascinating and very exciting when I see that they have come to my site. The city, the state, the location of where they do their line of business daily, is fascinating and I would love for them to send an email to let me know who they are. Their IP address would either scare you or delight you. Well, I must say that I am delighted.

We really have no idea who is reading our blogs. It's such a privilege that we have and we should take it very seriously. I really make an effort to be careful when I disclose things about my family. I want to honor them even when they have hurt me. I want to share my pain, even if it's not pretty. Articles I have read in the newspaper criticize people like me for writing about their life on a blog. But I stand firm in this, I don't care. However, I do think it is very dangerous for us to rip people apart on our blogs. I see blogs where people are ripping our President apart. I realize that is politics but it's harsh. I don't agree with every thing that is going on in our country right now. I don't understand a lot of it. I do vote a certain way and I don't EVER see that changing and I choose to honor who God has chosen to have power over this country. LOTS of political bashing going on these days on both sides.

Then I see blogs that talk about reality TV stars. Some may be criticizing American Idol contestants or Survivor contestants. A site meter will really open your eyes when it comes to talking about specific people on your blog. I think about this with my family too. Am I careful enough? Not everyone in my family has my blog site address or even knows I have a blog and I would like to keep it that way. But I still have to be careful. Anyone can google their name and be taken to the exact site where their name was mentioned, praised or slandered. It happens with authors, pastors, celebrities, political figures. And just about every single blog I have seen where bashing goes on,usually ends up being a Christ follower. We are not perfect, no. But maybe would should be a little more careful.

It's easy to do. It's easy to criticize and discuss the things in life we don't particularly like or things we down right abhor. I may not always please those that come to my site. They may not agree with my spiritual outlook, my political stands or who I want to win American Idol next May but I do want them to feel something when they come here. When someone comes to my home, I always pray that they will feel a warm, accepting, Godly spirit. The same goes for my blog. There are blogs I visit where I can instantly discern that the person writing is humble and gracious. I'm pretty sure that if I visited their home, I would feel the same exact way.

For all of you coming to my blog, remaining unknown, that's okay. I am so blessed and honored that you come each day. I pray that my words mean something to you and that God can use me to speak into your life. And if you ever decide to reveal who you are, I will be honored.