That’s right, one year ago this month, ThisFrontPorch was built and I posted my first blog out there for God and everybody to see!  I can’t believe its been a year already; my how time flies…whether we’re having fun or not right?!

Now I realize these might not be the most incredible numbers for a blog but I’m quite pleased with myself for 1) having undertaken the endeavor to start my first blog ever; 2) having learned a few things in the process; 3) having stuck with the process of learning the discipline and the art of blogging.

So that is a little about the past, but what about the future of ThisFrontPorch?  Well, the big huge picture is that I hope that ThisFrontPorch.com becomes the online platform from which I launch an organization under the same name.  The hub of this organization will be a cafe/bakery.  Not just any bakery/cafe, oh no my friends!  This bakery/cafe will serve as a gallery featuring artwork by local artists (paint, sketch, aerosol, etc) regularly rotating to foster maximum exposure, will host open mic nights for music and spoken word, will offer workshops in arts and literacy and classes in various life skill areas–copious opportunities for the community to reconcile, heal, and turn from the path of violence toward a journey of hope and thriving.  [PS: Did I mention this bakery/cafe will be smack dab in the middle of the not-so-hot parts of town?  The middle of those hurting urban neighborhoods that are deserts in the sense that they lack those vital resources to nourish the soul and heal the heart]. This particular bakery/cafe will hire those who have little opportunity to be hired elsewhere due to past mistakes.

I also plan on opening a foster/transitional home for youth 16-24 years old in need a stable and safe residence while they plan next steps toward job or education.  Other things I dream about: a skate park; a community garden & urban harvest festival; a counseling center; and a retreat center out in the country with mountains and rivers and horses.  Yep, so that’s the BIG picture.

The little picture?  Well, that looks a little more like: writing more regularly–poetry and prose; taking more photos; developing more cupcake recipes; wearing more cute aprons…and maybe even making a few; rustling up some more trusty and loyal readers; and of course, continuing to provide you with more of the same high caliber wit and wisdom

Thanks to those of you who have been with me as ThisFrontPorch has learned to crawl then take it’s first wobbly steps toward growing into the fullness of it’s destiny.  I hope you’ll stick around as the adventure continues.  And don’t forget, if you like what you read, tell your friends AND let me know about it!  I love to hear from you, what your thoughts are–whether you agree with me or not, what your insights and experiences are, and how it is for you to sit a spell on ThisFrontPorch.

So Happy Birthday ThisFrontPorch, here’s to many more years of dreams being born and visions dancing into being!

*Google PageRank rates how “important” a page/site is based on links and traffic to the page and other mathmatical logorithmic lingo that I’m pretty not fluent in…you could read more about it here if you reeeeeally want to.