Meet the Blogger with Rhonda Schrock

I'm delighted to host my good friend Rhonda Schrock for October's Meet the Blogger. We met here online years ago and it's been a great privilege to get to know this talented writer. In addition to being smart and funny, she's sweet and spunky, and oh-so-easy to relate to. Known to many as "One small, caffeinated American mom", Rhonda is authentic, and as kindhearted as they come.  Readers of her blog get to share in the adventure of raising 4 sons, her spiritual journey, current events, and a whole lot more. You can't help but to come away blessed and encouraged in some way. 

Welcome Rhonda! Tell us, why did you start blogging? How long have you had your current blog? 

Thanks, Karen! My big toe first dipped into the blogosphere 10 years ago now, back in 2007. It was around the time I began writing a weekly column called “Grounds for Insanity” for a local newspaper. In “Grounds, “ I wrote about my life as the mother of four boys and the wife of one. Every week, I posted the latest column there for friends and family who lived in other states. Folks would stop by to howl, sympathize, or to whisper a quiet “hallelujah” that they weren't raising such an ornery, chaotic clan who chased and wrestled and spilled and burped. And that was all before breakfast.

Then, I began to venture out, being more vulnerable and allowing others to peek into my heart and mind and see what God was teaching me. Surprisingly, many people seemed to identify with my struggles and the lessons I was learning, so I kept blogging.  

Your blog is wonderful! It reflects your heart, I think, and readers know that you care about them. What do you hope readers will take away from your blog?

I love encouraging other people, and I love to teach as well. As a young woman, I was always looking for older women who were full of wisdom, radiated peace, knew how to love and overflowed with joy. My hunger was great. At key points in my life, God was faithful to put the right spiritual moms in my path, and those women poured life into me. Now, as a middle-aged (yeesh, I can't believe I just said that) girl, I find that I am the one who is the Filler of the Cup, and that is such a privilege and blessing. That's what people get on my blog.

We all need input and encouragement from sweet grounded people such as yourself, no matter how old we are. As for the middle aged thing, I'm (ahem) in that boat too if it makes you feel any better! Your readers have gained much from you, but have you gained any benefits through blogging?

Well, your name comes to mind (grinning here). I have made some very good friends this way. Past that, though, it's been a great place to practice my craft. I love words; putting them together just right, feeling a rhythm, making them flow. Stitching syllables and vowels and consonants into a crazy quilt that makes someone else go, “Yes! You've said what I've always felt, but could not, somehow, say.” As my mother would say, “That tickles my gizzard.”

You're so sweet. :) Thanks so much. I count you among the many blogging blessings as well. Love that saying from your mom - that's a good one. Are you working on any special projects right now?

I’m not. Working on a project, that is. I've sold pieces to magazines here and there, but currently I have the luxury of writing when I have time. My dream, though, is to put “Grounds for Insanity” into books a la Erma Bombeck. We’ll see.  

I think a "Grounds for Insanity" book is an excellent idea. I know it would resonate with readers all over the world. Is there anything we might be surprised to learn about you?

That I don’t love chocolate. Or football. I know, I know. It’s a betrayal to womankind, and it’s nearly un-American. To me, football looks like a bunch of kids who don’t know whether to play Keep Away, Capture the Flag, or Kick the Can. It’s incomprehensible. And as for the chocolate, it’s just better when it’s white. Which, according to Mr. Schrock who bleeds brown, “isn’t even chocolate.” (This, with an impressive 30-count eye roll.)

I will now be heading into the Witness Protection program. If you’re in, say, Tupelo or Biloxi, and you have a curly-headed waitress named Jane Smith (ahem), leave a real big tip, okay?

LOL, I will do that! For the record, I know a few who prefer white chocolate too, and somehow we remain friends. Who knew! What advice would you share with a newbie blogger?

Don’t try to be someone else. If you compare yourself to the big bloggers, you’ll be intimidated, and that can lead to envy. That’s nasty stuff. Here’s the deal; you aren’t him/her, but he/she is not you, either. The one you’re envying has something to offer that you don’t have, but you have something that he or she doesn’t have. God hasn’t asked you to be like anyone else but Himself.

He showed me once that we’re stained glass windows. Each window is different, uniquely designed and crafted by hand. Each one tells a story. Some are wildly beautiful and detailed, and others portray a simpler tale. But all of them are dark until the Light turns on inside. It’s the Light shining through that allows the story to be seen, to be told, and that is best seen in the dark.

That’s why I blog. To shine the Light in the dark in the way that I’ve been created to shine.

And shine you do, my friend! That's a wonderful illustration. Thanks so much for visiting with us this week. Wishing you blessings galore on your journey.

Thank you, Karen!

More About Rhonda

Rhonda Schrock is the author and creator of Grounds for Insanity, so named for her love of coffee and all those boys. With a combined total of 81 years of mothering males, she’s ready to run for the Oval Office. If she can get both sides of the aisle to get along in the BMV (Blue Mommy Van), congressional wrangling doesn’t phase her at all.

By day, she telecommutes, transcribing medical reports for physicians in other states. She has been an editor and contributor for the magazine, “Cooking & Such,” and has contributed to various blogs, including Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bethel College, and Moms Michiana (South Bend Tribune).

Visit Rhonda at Her Website: www.rhondaschrock.com


Do you have any questions for Rhonda? Do you prefer coffee or tea? Have anything special planned for this week?

Happy writing,

Karen

Coffee image credit: Pexels