“I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do with your lives,” said a friend to me one day.
Are you kidding me? Our lives? My husband and I were in the midst of our season of Great Pain, and it was just the beginning of a long process of restoration. I couldn’t possibly see ahead to the day when God might be able to use us for anything good.
Words are powerful though, and the respect I had for this dear friend of mine made me want to live up to her expectations. Her words helped me in my battle through the pain to the healing waiting on the other side.
This blog, Old Things New, began as a result of that healing.
Years later, I was standing in my garage one day, working on a small table that had come to me in pretty rough shape. The repairs had been made, the dust and grime washed away, and I was sanding through the layers of paint on the top when I was taken by surprise at the beautiful grain of the mahogany beneath the layers.
I brushed away the dust with my hand to look more closely and was immediately brought to tears. In this God-moment, I was struck by the similarity of this piece to my own life. Years of living as someone I wasn’t, hidden beneath layers to keep people from seeing the real me, afraid that if they knew the real me they couldn’t possibly like me.
But God.
I talked to a friend later that day and told her I was going to start a blog. I told her about my garage experience and how the furniture pieces I was restoring were like the restoration God had done in my own life. And I was going to call my blog Old Thing New, from II Cor. 5:17.
...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; all things have become new. Click To Tweet
And so it began.
I didn’t know what I was doing. Not AT ALL! I began on Blogger and started posting articles that only a few of my friends would read and comment on. It was so terrible that I highly doubt that a single one of them follows me now! The pictures were poor quality and the writing was me, trying to find my voice.
For the first nine months I plugged away, not having any idea how to grow my blog. I didn’t know about link parties where you could meet and follow other bloggers, I didn’t know anything about SEO (search engine optimization), and I never put tags on my posts so that anyone could find me through a search.
When I found the parties my blog began to grow, and as I met other bloggers I came to realize that everyone was recommending WordPress over Blogger. It wasn’t until the day that Blogger shut down my website without cause or notice (some two years in) that I decided to make the switch.
I could write so much about this!
- Building my own website from a $99 course I took online.
- Paying someone to do the Blogger to WordPress transfer and later finding out that I’d lost all my followers in the process. Trying to get in touch with the woman who did the transfer to see if she could fix the multiple problems it created for my blog – to NO AVAIL. She quit offering her transfer services shortly thereafter.
- Deciding I needed a prettier website and hiring another person to do that for me. She did a good job but, again, no response when I had follow-up questions.
- Paying a tech guy $500 up front to fix a host of issues on my site, including a malfunctioning email where no one could sign up to follow me. While I waited (MONTHS) for his “team” to get the work done, I ended up Googling and U-Tubing and fixing the issues myself. No, I didn’t get a refund. I did however get an offer from him to do more work against my $500 credit. Are you kidding me?
So fast forward to today. I finally have a wonderful group to handle any technical issues (Fistbump Media) and I can focus on the creative end, which I love. This makes my heart happy.
Over the course of time, this is what Old Things New blog has come to be: It is a place where I share my joy at creating a beautiful home on a budget (Tuesdays), as well as a place where I share the things I’m still learning as God continues to restore my heart (Fridays).
Building a beautiful home is a process and happens over time. Click To Tweet
Heart beauty is a process as well, as we are transformed from glory to glory - II Cor. 3:18. Click To Tweet
Today I am blessed beyond belief that I have this little blog where you and I can share our hopes and dreams together. I’ve made so many great and supportive friends along the way and I appreciate each and every one of you so much.
I’m thankful also, that the core of my pain has truly become the core of my purpose.
I love you to the moon and back!
Sunday:
SundaysAtHome, TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday, WriterWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
I so love your blog, Patti, and I always look forward to opening each email post I get from you. I’m very grateful to have met you in person and to have the privilege to call you friend. Love and blessings.
You are the best Tammy Karasek. Thank you for the encouragement and for being my friend. I look forward to the journeys ahead as we pursue our writing dreams together 😉
Beautiful Patti! The core of your pain has become the core of your purpose. Those are powerful words. I imagine if we all look closer at our lives we will discover the same thing. Happy Friday!
That’s SO true Mary. Once we overcome the pain we can then help others do the same, and that is the best part of having to suffer that there could be. Love you friend <3
Patti, I’ve loved your blog and IG since the day I found you. I started blogging in 2012 for the same reason you did. Your life and words inspire me. I’d love to connect with other like-minded and “like-blogging” people. The days of the week list—-is that the places you link up to in those days? Do you do your own linky party? I still have so much to learn!
Thank you for the great compliment Stacy. It is indeed great to connect with like-minded people and I’m so happy you take the time to visit my blog. In answer to your question about my days of the week list, yes, those are the link ups I join. We link our recent posts, visit one another, and try to leaves comments on some of the other blog posts. I do not have a link party myself. I’ve thought about it but I know from others that it is a lot of extra work. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I may or not be able to answer but I’m always happy to share what I’ve learned.
I too, enjoy your blog – it’s a real highlight of my day! I can certainly relate to your issues with “expert help”. I nearly always end up doing (or redoing) the job myself with better results and less aggravation.
-carol
That is so sweet of you Carol and you have made my day with your kind words. Isn’t it crazy how hard it is to get good tech help? I’ve learned to do so many things myself but the problem is, if I had to go back and do it again I wouldn’t remember a thing! I do often get better results by doing it myself though. 😉
Patty, thank you for being so honest and open. Your favorite verse II Cor. 5:17 reminded me of Rom 8:1.
I also wanted to share my life verse, slightly paraphrased Ecc. 3:12 “I know there is nothing better than to rejoice and do good in my lifetime.” We love you Patty, Warner and Dianna.
Thank you for sharing Warner. I appreciate it so much. 🙂
The core of your pain has become the core of your purpose. YES, LORD a hundred times over.
God’s plan! 😉
I am glad that I found you. I enjoy your posts and the insight of spiritual things.
Thank you Melinda. I’m glad you’ve joined me here 😉
I’m glad you kept at it! You share so much to help so many people! I CAN’T wait to read your book!
I’ll be honest Robin, sometimes blogging was a struggle and I wanted to give up. I’m glad I kept at it too because I’ve gotten to know so many wonderful people – like you! I’m plugging away at the book one day at a time 😉
What a sweet story….I love knowing this tidbit about you! And what a testimony it is about faith and perseverance, and encouragement for others. We are all a work in progress, just pieces of coal undergoing all kinds of stress and pressure as we slowly become diamonds, reflecting His Light. And your light shines bright, Patti….keep doing what you do my friend, as Jesus certainly shows through your efforts. Love you.
We ARE all a work in progress Sharon, and isn’t it great that He chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise? We never know our destiny or calling if we don’t take that first step in faith. I’m so thankful to call you my friend. Love you too.
So very inspiring. I can totally relate to the fear of people seeing the real you and not liking you. Well, we see the real you and we LOVE everything about you. Your blog and work are excellent. It is so nice to read a blog that uses correct language and punctuation also. What an inspiration you are, not only for DIY but also for our lives. Thank you, and please continue this awesome blog.
Your words are such an encouragement Danice. Overwhelming, really. I do try my best at proper language and punctuation but at times I still catch errors after a post has gone out. Embarrassaing for a recovering perfectionist to be sure! I do plan to continue on in my calling to write and I’m so happy to have you follow along on the journey.
Patti: I love your blog and am so happy that I found you. In reading this post, I felt as though you wrote it just for me. As a new blogger, I have experienced many of your issues. It was wonderful to know that I wasn’t alone. Keep on blogging away – you are such a magnificent inspiration !
I’m happy you found me too because I enjoy our back and forth conversations so much! The issues of blogging, UGH! They are a pain aren’t they? I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but if you ever have any questions I’d be happy to try to answer. Thank you for the huge compliment 🙂
I’m so glad you decided to take up blogging, even with all the bumps along the way. You are a bright light in the community and I love your smile and your graceful style, Patti. So glad to have you in my “virtual” life. XOXO
Oh Diane, you are so sweet, and I’m so happy to have you in my virtual life too! LOL! You are a delight!
So much good here on the personal AND the technical front. I love hearing about how you have brought in help to keep things running here. I”m not there yet, but I learn so much from others.
And it’s so good to be reminded that when God restores, He does it FORWARD into a new and better thing. Something far better than we could ever have imagined.
Far, FAR better Michele. I’m so grateful for all He’s done in my life.
Thank you for sharing and confirming once again that God never wastes anything – even the pain we wish would go away. All we have to do is hang on until He brings us to the other side the way He has done for you.
Yes he does! It took a long time but God has restored the wasted years of my life. Blessings to you Miriam – the one with my mother’s name.
Thank you for sharing your story. I have so much work to do to improve my blog…and you help me see I can do it!
You CAN Debbie! It takes more time to DIY but U-Tube has videos that cover everything. I don’t know if I can help you but feel free to message me if I can answer any questions. 😉
I am glad you continued in spite of some of the setbacks. Sometimes blogging can be a lonely and discouraging job and other times it is exhilarating but God is always guding us. And I agree the technical side it not fun.
Blogging CAN be lonely Debra. That’s why it’s so great to know we have the support of other bloggers. Thank you 🙂
I loved reading about how you started your blog and why you picked oldthingsnew. I relate to having tech difficulty. I spent many late nights researching how to start a blog and I can’t believe I figured it out by myself. That to me, is a miracle!
Patti…it has been quite a journey!! Life seems like the same kinds of bumps & peaks….
But so worth it!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Beautiful post, Patti. And your site looks fabulous. So grateful for this journey the Lord has you on as a blogger. The world needs your voice. Love this line, “Her words helped me in my battle through the pain to the healing waiting on the other side.” Blessings! Visiting from #freshmarketfriday
As a new blogger, it is great to see that even though the tech stuff isn’t fun, it can be a comfortable home. Thank you!
I am so thankful to have you here at the #glimpses link up. I love reading your blog and how it all began.
Thank you dear Barbie. It is always fun to link up at your place. 🙂