One of my favourite bloggers, Reluctant Memsahib, has just dropped a bomshell. She made a sudden decision to move from her home in the wilds of Tanzania and now she's gone. After five years her descriptions of life in Outpost have come to an end. She doesn't explain what prompted this or where she is going, which leads me to wonder what sort of trauma could have caused her to take this decision.
Her life has been so different to anything that I ever experienced and her descriptions so graphic. When I was housebound with my beloved Davy a couple of years ago she lifted me out of his illness for a while and gave my mind the freedom to roam in her land of sunshine. I read her sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always interesting stories from this far off land and her words always lifted my spirits What an gift she has for words.
It was amazing to me that she could be so remote and yet share with us by simply posting a blog. I'm sure that I'm not alone in wishing her the very best.
So, I ask myself, why blog? Why do we do it? I have again found myself doubting the wisdom of sharing my thoughts with cyberspace. What's it all about? My rants bore me and I'm sure they must bore everyone else, so why bother? I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that I have made many friends and received great empathy and uplifting comments in times of need. So here I go again!!!
A while ago I was approached by a college student who, along with 19 other students, had the bright idea of inviting 12 bloggers to submit articles for an online book with proceeds to go to charity. We were asked to select and write about 12 major events of the past year. I elected to write about Steve Jobs and Ophra Winfrey. The chosen charity for 2011 is the Bulembu project.
Based in a small town in Swaziland, Africa, the Bulembu project is an inspirational mission to transform an abandoned mining town in the only country in the world with a negative population rate, into a thriving town and beacon of hope in a country ravaged by HIV/AIDS.
By taking in orphans and rejuvenating an eco-friendly and close knit community, the Bulembu project hopes to bring life back to an otherwise doomed area.
Visited by a team of 19 16-year-old's in 2010, the Bulembu project has been chosen as the charity for 2011 for a variety of reasons - not only is it an innovative and necessary project with a glowing heart at the centre of it, the Bulembu projects motto - Learn, Engage, Give - reflects much of the spirit behind TTR - learning from others, engaging in a project and giving to a worthy cause.
It is anticipated that the cyber book will be available from 5th December. Read all about this project at www.thethoughtreportofficial.blogspot.com
20 hours ago
