I do not know what to make of the stat counters that I use on this blog.  The WordPress stat counter is fairly unsophisticated in comparison with the Sitemeter counter which lets me know where visitors to my blog come from.  I love reading the names and it amazes me that people from as far afield as Iran, Macedonia, and the Russian Federation,  and that readers from Hiroshima to Caracas happen upon my blog.  I don’t know how many people return since each day’s record is erased by the following day’s stats.  I notice interesting names and recognise some of my regular readers.  I love the names of places such as Saint Cloud and Flower Mound and Dwingeloo.  I’ll never visit them and have no idea what they are really like, but I like imagining them. 

I’m intrigued, too, by the posts that are favourites.  The Jesus Prayer regularly tops the list, which is as it should be.  I think some regular readers must always access my blog via that particular page, or one of the other favourites?

I don’t think stat counters show the number of people reading through “feeds” most of the time, which is a shame.  Numbers fluctutate enormously and fall away dramatically if I don’t post for a while.  Loyal readers who return often are counted over and over again.  170 readers is a good day, around a 100 is an average, 50 reminds me how fragile it all it!

But the point of this is to say, please don’t feel you have to plough through some of the longer entries I post on this blog.  I know that not many people are going to be interested enough to read them, that some of them are dense and dry, but writing them really helps me sort out what I think.  I would love to get feedback – whether you’ve liked a post or hated it, agreed or disagreed.  Thank you to those of you who do comment, or let me know that you’ve enjoyed reading something: I can’t pretend that it does not make things much more fun and worthwhile.  I’ve removed the email facility for now, but since all comments are moderated, you can always make a comment but ask me to remove it once I have read it, without publishing it.  I’d love to know who is reading my blog, even if you only want to say hello and then lurk again.