Welcome to Wistful Wanderings. My name is Emma, and I am Michelle’s daughter. I work full time at a library, but I’ll be guest blogging here when I can.

You might be thinking “Wistful Wanderings” is a weird thing to name a blog, and you might be right. Personally, though, I think both of those words are beautiful and have a fun ring to them, but that might just be because they carry significance for me.

You’re probably most confused about wistful because it has a bit of a melancholic connotation to it, which, in all honesty, is one reason why I have loved the word for many years. I’ve always liked books and music that have a sad undertone to them. However, if you Google the meaning of the word wistful, the web browser suggests many other, similar words that include “pensive, reflective, musing, etc,” which is going to be one element of these blog posts.

The other component is wandering. There are two reasons I chose that word. For all Tolkien fans, you might have already guessed one of them. In “The Fellowship of the Rings,” there is a famous line in one of the poems that says, “Not all those who wander are lost…” As the sentence implies, there is a difference between wandering because you chose it versus taking a wrong turn and being lost. It can be beneficial to wander because it leads to new experiences and lessons that we can learn. So, in that regard, there is a positive side to wandering.

On the other hand, sometimes you wander because you haven’t learned the lesson God is trying to teach you. The Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness because they couldn’t listen and obey. So, wandering can also be harsh and unforgiving sometimes. It depends on our perspective and the choices that we make in life. So, there is a bit of a contranym when it comes to wandering.  

The forthcoming blog posts will be my musings and wandering thoughts that pop up in my life, hence the name. Hopefully, they will be valuable and provoke discussion.  I welcome your thoughts.

Painting and blog post by Emma Shaff