It's Allthings2all's 2 Year Blogiversary!

from Auckland Beaches

"Tears can sing and joy shed tears
You can take the wisdom of this world
And give it to the ones who think it all ends here"
- Bruce Cockburn, Hills of Morning

I just have to stop in the midst of a busy day and take some time to celebrate 2 years of Allthings2all! I wasn't even thinking 2 months ahead, let alone 2 years ahead, when I started this weblog. Since I recently explained Why Allthings2all Turns the World Upside Down I won't go over the outlook and focus of my blog again here.

What I do want to say first of all is thankyou to all of you who have visited and who still do.

So much has taken place here in the last year that it's hard to know where to begin. I remember thinking 2 years ago that a weblog was so much better than a conventional website because I could write on different topics and it wouldn't be so time consuming. The first part was right... I discovered that blogging has a momentum of its own. Now I'm involved in a number of projects that have grown out of my writing here, and as I've been reflecting on that I've realised that this blog is and will be my first priority. I'll still be involved elsewhere, but Allthings2all is where my heart was led and where my heart still is.

Of the many highlights that have taken place in the last year my Interview with Nancy Pearcey, author of Total Truth stands out as an honour. I also had the privilege of hosting The Darfur Collection, which has led to the beginning of the Spotlight on Darfur series. I was moved when I heard that Simon Wiesenthal passed away yesterday - he was a significant figure for me in terms of overcoming, enduring, and following a worthwhile purpose. I've written about him today.

I've learned a lot in the last year. I've blogged on topics that weren't covered by the mainstream media and then watched the media get hold of them and the whirlwind that has followed. I've also been humbled at the way some posts have been read and linked by so many people. I've received encouragement, spam, and anti-semitic hatemail. Strangely the anti-semitism started after I first wrote about the genocide in Darfur. I don't want to give too much space to discussing that disturbed mentality - I still sometimes get mail like that and it reminds me of why it is necessary to have a different voice and a different message. I've also found myself part of a fluid online global community - one without walls and sometimes defying description. My blogroll reflects the cyber highway to the world that I've found here.

My own favourite post from the last year is Under the Pohutakawa, which is set in an appropriate place for me, is about joy, and considers what I would write if it were my last day on earth. I'll leave you with that one - and say thankyou for the last 12 months of the journey. There's more to come!