Big Blogging Blunder and An Announcement

I am writing this post the day after I realized that many of my already written blog posts are gone. GONE! I am writing this the day after because yesterday I was very upset. Not happy. Mad. Even today I am teetering on the verge of being mad again but I have just decided that "it is what it is" and it's time to move on.  Sadly.  I must move on and I refuse to allow what happened to ruin my day. 

I do not have a laptop (though I want one bad, lol) nor do I have an iPhone or iPad BUT I do have an iPod touch that I have had for a few months. I really like it. I can check my email, social media sites, browse the Internet, listen to music, take photos as well as many other wonderful things. One of my favorite features is the "notes" app. I use it often. I make grocery lists, Christmas lists, to-do lists and i also write blog posts using it.

I know to a lot of people that probably seems silly but my iPod is portable and with no lap top it helps me make the most of my idle time while waiting on my boys at their sports practices and such. I make lists of blog post ideas and I also actually type my blog posts. In fact prior to yesterday I had several lists of posts I wanted to write along with nearly 30 posts that were already written and only needed a few finishing touches.
So imagine my surprise and frustration when I opened my "notes" app while waiting to pick up my son from an after school activity and out of nearly 40 notes total only 4 appeared.  4.  And these 4 were ones that could have been deleted and I probably would have never known.  They were of little importance and from a few months back when I first got my iPod touch.  I googled this problem and apparently it has happened to a lot of people using apple devices so I caution you to beware if you also use the notes app that it could happen to you - it did to me.

I honestly felt like I got the wind knocked out of me.  I felt a little sick.  If you are a blogger you know that hours of thought, research and writing can go in to one single blog post and to think that I had so many just vanish.  I have been asked to be a contributor for two of my favorite blogs "The Purposeful Mom" and "A Heart For The Home" starting in October and I had several posts already written to be used for that as well as a list of other post ideas that I planned to write for them.  All gone. 

So although I felt like I was a little bit ahead in the blogging game and was about to get back to posting a little more regular since school has started I now am sort of back to square one.  Between losing so much of my material yesterday and the fact that when I switched the name of my blog from Jen's Journey to A Heart For My Home back in June and my blog numbers fell drastically (I assumed that most of my followers would come along with me but I was wrong) I felt like deleting my blog altogether.  My numbers have remained low since the switch with only about one third of my previous audience following me.  While I am not writing this blog to have a large following it does a blogger good to know that people are interested in what you have to say.  Receiving emails, comments on our posts and new followers is such an encouragement to a blogger.  When these things are absent, it makes us wander sometimes "what is the use?" or "why exactly am I doing this?".  I do have some brand new followers and to you I say welcome - I am so glad you are here.   And it's because of you that I will keep plugging along little by little.  It is my prayer that something I blog about will be an encouragement, inspiration or help to someone.  I also pray that God will be glorified through my writing. 

4 Bible Verses come to mind right now: 
The second half of Nehemiah 8:10 ... Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

The Second half of Psalm 30:5 ... Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

My Prayer:

Lord Please give me strength, I definitley cried last night but am searching for my joy this morning.  This was a trial and situation that is an aggravation and I would rather have not faced but in the big scheme of life I know it is nothing and today I am counting it all joy.  Thank you Jesus for working patience in me.  Thank you for renewed Joy and now I am just gonna laugh - because sometimes that is all you can do.  In Jesus Name, Amen. 

My question to you is, have you ever experienced a blogging blunder like this? 

And also will you pray for me?  I am feeling a little discouraged right now. 

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 Click How I Found My "Notes" to read a follow up post.