Who Would Have Thought....

When I started my blog, just a short few months ago, I never imagined that people would actually read it (except maybe my mom). Call me cooky, but I honestly had no idea how this whole thing worked. After a few posts, I received my first comment....when I read the e-mail that said I had a comment to moderate (which means I can decide to publish for readers to read or reject it), I was really nervous. I thought....who is commenting? I hope it's a nice comment. What if it's not? I was hesitant, but I read it; and surprisingly it was the beginning of a blogging friendship. I have received several comments since that day, and none of them have ever been rude or unkind.....thank goodness; but I still get nervous when I see a comment from someone I don't recognize. I was reading a few different blogs, over the last week, and I was completely surprised to see that there were some really rude comments left. Now I know if you leave your blog open for comments, you get what you get...and you don't throw a fit; BUT I don't think the originators of these blogs really had any idea that there would be such rude and hurtful comments. I mean....really attacks on the writers....about their character and choices they have made. I'm sort of confused now. Isn't YOUR blog suppose to be about YOU and YOUR life....goals, family, beliefs, choices, likes, dislikes, etc.? Shouldn't you feel comfortable blogging about those things on YOUR blog without being attacked? None of the writers, that I am referring to, have said or done anything but talk about their lives, their struggles, their joys, their beliefs. I guess if readers don't agree, they definitely have a right to say so in their comments; but for pity sake....can't we just be nice about it? If I ever receive a hurtful or rude comment, I'm not quite sure how I'll handle that....the blogs that I'm referring to (that received the hateful comments) published them for the readers to read; and you know what I find the most amazing? The readers who left the rude comments, all sign them as anonymous, which leads me to believe that they aren't comfortable with the fact that they are blatantly attacking someone else's character or choices. What do you think? And please.....let's just all be nice!