THANK YOU!

To everyone who has subscribed, read along, and stuck with me these past five years, thank you so much. This blog has been the most incredible creative space, and the community I’ve seen gather to read the writings here is something truly special. Hearing the stories of people connecting to and feeling touched by the life stories, commentary, fiction, and poetry I sprinkle all over the blog is one of the main reasons, if not the main reason, I’ve kept writing while life has gotten busier and busier all around me. Now I know, and you know, that no matter what comes our way, be it marriage, parenthood, or a global pandemic, I’ll keep writing and keep coming back to this space to share time with you, the readers.

I also rolled out the Creator’s Guild recently! I have a submission that I will be reviewing and publishing on the blog soon. The first one! It’s so exciting. If you want to learn more about the Creator’s Guild, or submit something yourself, check out the About section on the homepage.

Anyway, to commemorate this 100th post, I went back and found the most popular posts from each year I’ve been running the blog. Popularity is a weird word to use, since it’s a mixture of page views, likes, and interactions, but simply put, these are the posts that got the most overall foot traffic. Be warned, I did get better at writing as the years went by! Thank you again, for everything.

2016 : Welcome to my new blog!

Excerpt: Hello, world!

2017: The Struggles of Independence

Excerpt: Every year a new army of “kids” set out into the world with an eye to beat their own path, carve their own destiny. For some, this is easy: Their life walk is specially suited to fit their trajectory. For others, not so much: Their independence is met with adversity, whether via family pressure or emotional distress. Nonetheless, Jane or John (err, Emma or Liam, according to Baby Center’s most popular baby names of 2017) are going to set off “on their own” and lay claim to the life they want to lead. And if Jane, or John–or Emma, or Liam–are anything like I was when I decided to face life with teeth bared and heart aflutter, then they’re going to face struggles, and not the struggles they necessarily expected.

2018: This Being in the Clouds, Poem

Excerpt:

There stands someone, somewhere
in the great mass of clouds up there,
who watches in awe of our human lives,
wanting to fall and join, but unable to dive.

2019: A Letter to My Daughter

Excerpt: A little while ago I decided I wanted to write a letter to our child-on-the-way. I ran it by my wife, who liked it, but then there was the process of making sure I’d never lose it. I tend to lose things. So, here we are. I’m putting this letter up on my blog for two reasons. Firstly, it will always be here for me to grab when our girl is old enough to read it. Secondly, it was a good writing exercise, and I wanted to share it with my readers! I hope you all take something from it, or just enjoy it at the very least.

2020: Personal Life Update

Excerpt: It’s been two months since my last post without explanation, and I feel really poopy about that (using high-brow literary terms here, you guys). But, I swear I have a good explanation that’s not just me sitting in a dark room playing Among Us.

2021: Grace and Courage, short story

Excerpt:

“He was a sweet man, I’ll give him that,” Maribell whispered. “Nothing much in the face and nothing left for him in the estate.”
“Maribell Jones, you hold your tongue,” her mother snapped at her, deep, unforgiving wrinkles sagging her face.
“Quite right, Mrs. Jones,” said Mrs. Gravy to Maribell’s mother. “Quite right, indeed. Such a tongue would be cut out in years passed. I’m taken aback, I say. I’m utterly unnerved by your tongue, Maribell.”
“And I,” Mrs. Jones agreed. The matrons nodded in disdain together. Maribell rolled her eyes, looking to her friend for support. Alice only giggled and said nothing.
“Honestly, Alice, I wish you’d back me up,” Maribell hissed.

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I’ll be back soon with a regular blog post soon! Love you all!