Last week, an application for my other blog, YoungMarriedMom, to join a blogging network was rejected . . . for the third time. I’ve been writing on that blog for over three years, and it’s turned into a lot more for me than it started out being. I simply wanted a way to hold myself accountable to writing regularly. Over time, it turned into a means of getting in touch with old friends and staying connected to friends and family who live far away, and an incredibly powerful tool of healing in what was a dark time last year.

At face value, it is a bummer that the collection of thoughts, photos, and reflections that I have poured my heart and mind into don’t fit into a larger online scheme. And yet, I wasn’t upset for very long after getting the news.

First of all, at least I got an answer, and I know my application isn’t wandering around somewhere in cyberspace.

Second, and more importantly, this blog was a stepping stone. That’s all it was intended to be, and it’s served its purpose beautifully—with the bonuses I mentioned above. Would it have been cool if it took off and became something huge? Of course. Is it any less valuable to me because it didn’t (or at least hasn’t yet)? No. Not at all.

Too often I have to remind myself of my own definition of success: to communicate something genuine, honest, and real; to make a positive difference in someone else’s life while making better sense of my own; to improve as a writer with every word that hits the page.

Hopefully the time for Big News will come. When it does, I will celebrate for sure. But in the meantime, there’s a lot of work to do, and I’d best enjoy it for what it is.