The Top Six Womanly Wednesday Posts of 2015

When I started this blog back in April, I dreamed it would be a place where women could gather round the table and share their hearts, stories, and lives in real and beautiful ways.  I dreamed that it would be a place where women could talk about the struggles they wrestle with on a daily basis so that other women could come out of the silence and breathe a sigh of relief as they admitted, “Me too.”

One of my favorite ways I’ve seen this unfold this year is in my Womanly Wednesday guest post series.  Since May, I’ve had over 25 different women share their stories on Wednesdays, opening up their hearts so other people wouldn’t feel alone.  I have continually been amazed not only by the beautiful words these women have shared, but also by how you readers have responded. These posts have gotten hundreds of shares, thousands of views, and so many supportive, encouraging comments.  This guest post series has been one of my favorite parts of blogging so far, and I’m so grateful to all of you who’ve participated.

I have loved EVERY post that has been shared in this series, but today, I’m rounding up the six posts that have gotten the most views and shares since I started the series in May.  And just to clarify…I’m not playing favorites here. I took these straight from my blog analytics about which posts had the most total views in 2015! I really did love every post I got the honor of sharing this year and couldn’t possibly pick favorites based just on my own preferences.  If you haven’t read these six posts or the rest of them, you need to check them out! So much goodness here, my friends.

1) Louise: Wrestling With Grief

“Grieving is weird. It is hard. It’s a messy sort of thing that isn’t readily accepted in our productivity-driven world. But I know now what a crucial part of living and growing it is. […] I don’t think it’s a process where you can just slap a Band-aid on it and be good as new. Grieving takes time and a lot of grace from the people around you as you work through hard hard things. It’s a process where Jesus takes the broken pieces, and maybe doesn’t put them back like they were before, (I’ve given up guessing how He works) but He begins to shine light and hope into the dark places in your heart.”

2) Anna:  Being “Too Smart” To Be A Stay At Home Mom

“At first, I felt embarrassed that this was the choice that I wanted to make. 75 years ago, women would have killed for a thriving career in medicine or some other typically successful field. Why would I not want that?  Don’t get me wrong. I’m thankful for the freedom to have that choice. However, that’s all it is. A choice.  Just because a new choice is available doesn’t make the old choice wrong. What is wrong is feeling trapped by your talents and skills.”

3) Aly: Infant Loss and Infidelity

“The days, weeks, and into the months following her birth and death were broken. Tears and anger. There were screams and unstoppable sobs. There was emptiness, confusion, sadness, and hurt. Oh did it ever hurt. It was dark and deep and days I would never wish to relive. And yet there was joy and remembrance and pride that she is mine.  Forever her momma.”

4) Sarah: Having A Miscarriage

“For the next weeks I cried on and off and didn’t want to see or hear from people. I didn’t want pity, yet I didn’t want people to say ‘they understood.’ I was selfish as if I was the only person who had experienced this. I blamed myself, I blamed God, and I blamed the doctor. I asked a lot of ‘why’s’ and ‘why me?’ I felt a lot of anger and sadness. After a lot of praying, screaming, crying, clinging on to Josh for what seemed like days, one drunken night, and lots of Saint Bernard snuggles, I finally felt stable.”

5) Annie: Abuse and Rescue

“Jesus reached me as a 20-year-old college student who had spent her entire life succeeding academically and athletically – because I didn’t have a choice.  I was raised in an extremely broken home, physically abused until I was big enough to fight back and threaten real damage, and manipulated as a pawn between two warring parents until I achieved financial independence.  College was my ticket out; I had to be successful because it was my only means of escape.”

6) Liz: Finding Hope In Illness

“If you want to know how having PCOS affects me emotionally, ask me while I’m plucking hairs out of my chin or taking a pill every morning just so my body will work right, or when we have the conversation about the possibility of not being able to have kids. It’s a deep, emotional wound; one that I still have a hard time accepting. Feeling my brokenness tangibly makes it hard to ignore. I can’t control it or fix it, and that drives me nuts. I’ve been angry at God and angry at my body.”

To check out the rest of the Womanly Wednesday posts, you can browse through the archives here.  I can’t say it enough…a HUGE thank you to everyone who has shared their heart in this series! I have lots great posts scheduled through January and then I’ll be opening up the series for submissions again, so stay tuned if you’d be interested in sharing your story!