the blog world is the ONLY instance of social interaction — short of the published book — where one can go listen to someone talk about their life and their thoughts for several minutes and not reply at all.
in any form of conversation a person would nod, grunt, or make hmm-ing noises at the very least. at most, they’d respond with a personal anecdote on a related topic, express sympathy or celebration, or start a conversation.
of course, those of us who blog know that we’re “putting it out there” to a necessarily anonymous and largely silent audience, and that’s a choice we’ve made, a risk we’ve taken. but lately i feel like i’d like to at least grunt in response to those who unwittingly share their lives with me via their blogs.
so, if i’ve read your blog entry, i’ll leave a comment. it will at least say, “hmm” or “ah!” or “thank you.” on a good day, it’ll say even more than that. i want to acknowledge that i you are being heard.
and, if you’d like to return the gesture, dear anonymous reader, i would welcome it.
first the kingdom 
Hello there! Actually…I’ve recently started following your blog! I forgot exactly how I found you, but I think it might have been through Rachel’s “Dust In the Wind” Blogger. Anyhoot, there was a previous post that I’d actually reposted on my site because it was sorta “reading my mail” so to speak, hope that was okay!
This is a good resolution. I’m in.
Mmmm!
(Translation: I often leave brief comments on blogs, so I agree with you.)
I will.
Urgh. Hmmm. 😉
Mmhmm 😉
Good idea :-). And you are definitely heard and appreciated!
=) I meant to say thank you for that post. Really. I feel like it’s brought so much freedom for me to blog. (I couldn’t really blog for a while because I’ve always had that feeling that I had a responsibility for writing profound and thought- provoking posts…) & agreed, it is nice to meet you too!
word…or when in doubt use a hit counter to quantify the anonymous masses reading your blog =)
but quantifying is not very personal; it is only numbers. i know how many people read my blog, but i don’t know who they are.
Hello! Well, now I expect a comment from you on every blog post I write – otherwise I’ll know you don’t read them 🙂 I like this and I agree – I wish more would comment rather than just pass by. Even though I do the same often – that’s why I love and hate google reader.
I dont comment or blog alot these days…but sure:)
lovely words. completely agree 🙂
good point! in order to be a form of relationship, it must be two-way communication!
Hi Brooke! We have never met, but we have a mutual friend in the lovely Chelsea Gentry. I love your blog. I especially love your thoughts on marriage. I’ve been steadily following your story since last summer, a couple of months before you got married. Sorry for being so silent! I think you are lovely, though. and thought provoking. aaaand inspiring.
So, hi 🙂
-Leslie
Hi Brooke. We’ve never met. I live in Cape Town, South Africa and have been following your blog from just after you got married. I found it through someone’s blog entry on the 24/7 prayer site.
It has amazed me how God has taken us through similar things and I have been extremely encouraged by the way you share your life with us.
I’ve wanted to comment many times but have hesitated because we’ve never met, but thanks for inspiring me and provoking thought and providing a feast for the eyes!! 🙂
Robynn
So nice to meet you, Robyn. I’m so glad you popped in to say hi. Don’t be afraid to comment in the future, even though we’ve never met. 😀
this is a great resolution. I liked it so much reposted it on my blog and have decided to do the same. thanks for sharing!