Hugo Schwyzer

Note:  I have been having spam attacks in my comments; please be understanding as it will take some time to deal with, given that I (and Typepad) have directed our attention elsewhere!

This will be my last post until Wednesday, January 5.  For the next three days, I shall be snatched up by the Christmas whirlwind; on Sunday, off to England for a happy (and chilly, no doubt) nine days with the family.   I’ll be lurking in the ’sphere, but not posting for thirteen days.

All the gifts have been bought, and those that aren’t going abroad have been wrapped. (Like many travelers, I’ve learned the hard way about taking wrapped gifts through airport security.)  Today, I shall spend a considerable time at the market (a unionized one at that), buying all of the various necessities for Christmas dinner.  For that event, we expect ten in our little condo, eleven including Her Highness.  And this year, I have great hopes of staying awake for the 11:00PM service at All Saints.  As a hopeless morning person, I’ve missed too many Christmas Eve services over the years.  (But Easter Sunrise events are just my speed!)

In this final post of 2004, let me briefly thank all of my readers.  Though my readership is very modest by the standards of the blogosphere, Typepad tells me that I am getting anywhere from 1700-2500 hits per day, which I find rather amazing.  (When I began in January, I was getting 60-70 hits per day, and Mom and Dad were clearly responsible for half of them!)  I’m so grateful that so many people have become regular readers — it is humbling and flattering.

I am especially grateful for all the comments, even those that have been, shall I say, less than complimentary.  I have a rather obvious tactic — I post in haste, and then reassess (and occasionally repent) in leisure.  I’ll be the first to admit that a great many of my posts this year have been driven by emotion, and I am especially thankful that so many folks, in their comments, helped me to see where I might well be in error as a result of so much excited blogging.  So many of the comments, even short ones, have helped me to see things in ways I had not seen them before.  In a very real sense, the interactive nature of the blogosphere has helped me become sharper, more thoughtful, and, I hope, a better teacher and youth leader.

I started blogging as a creative outlet.  In that sense, it has exceeded my expectations!   In the years since finishing my dissertation, I hadn’t written a damn thing other than emails, reviews of my colleagues’ teaching, and student evaluations.   Blogging has reminded me that it is in the act of writing that we often discover what we truly believe.  Some folks think about what they believe, and then type it out; others of us can only discover what we really know (on a deep level) in the process of writing itself.  Blogging has helped me to do that; judging from what I see on the 30-50 blogs I visit daily, I’m not alone!

When I first started blogging, I blogged a great deal about Anabaptism and California politics.  I posted a great deal about abortion over the spring and summer — and
then, overwhelmed by the contradictions and inconsistencies in my own
position, took a temporary vow of silence on the subject which I doubt
will be lifted anytime soon.  Over the course of 2004, I moved back to the Anglicans and lost interest in the goings-on in my home state.  Instead, for better or worse, I’ve tended to focus on gender issues — especially, in recent posts, the men’s movement. 

I am haunted by the thought that because I blog so often, I don’t buckle down and do the real work of writing journal articles.  Blogging provides such instant gratification!  Writing articles for submission takes far longer, requires a far greater effort, and of course, risks rejection!  Knowing that hundreds — maybe more, if I’m lucky — will read what I write on this blog makes the thought of writing for an obscure journal somewhat less satisfying.   Still, part of me thinks that I’m "hiding out" here in the blogosphere…  I sense that I may need to make some New Year’s resolutions in this area. 

But enough introspection.  To those of my readers who are fellow Christians, I wish you and yours a Merry, spirit-filled, joyous, and awe-inducing Christmas.  For those of other faiths, or no faiths at all, I wish you a very, very happy "holiday season" — and to everyone, a very Happy New Year!

See you January 5!