So sweet ones, here’s what I’ve been working on.  Over the past six months, I have:

-created new content for the blog three times a week;
-written for People of the Second Chance, Grace for Moms, Crosswalk, Today’s Christian Woman and The Life of a Single Mom;
-created a mug, partnered with a canvas designer, and offered Mother’s Day kits;
-created and released an e-book for women who are living in difficult marriages;
-created and released an e-book for women who are divorced;
-created and released an e-book for women who are single moms;
-edited my first novel, releasing in September;
-written a holidays for the hurting e-devotional, releasing in November;
-spoken four times, led a guided retreat in Bloomington, IL, and did a couple radio interviews;
-created two new retreats;
-led my first All Things New retreat in Elgin, IL;
-recorded sixteen 60-second encouragement webcasts;
-continued to moderate my two private Facebook groups for women in difficult marriages and women who are separated/divorced;
-created private Facebook groups for women in seasons of pain, women who are in restoring marriages, and women who are single moms;
-continued to work almost weekly with my amazing leadership coach;
-and read at least a dozen business books and listened to, dear heavens, maybe fifty businessy podcasts.

(All of this I couldn’t do without the generous and loyal encouragement I receive from my Patreon supporters. Thank you, sweet ones!)

And all with one laser-focused purpose: to help hurting women by bringing them hope.  And I’ve loved it and I’m so grateful.  You must know that I love what I do. With everything in me, I am grateful for this season of my life where I get to see the redemption of my pain turned around every single day.  And every single day I sit at my computer and I remember what I used to feel like and I read emails and Facebook posts and blog comments and I am reminded over and over that there are so many women out there – just like who I was (in a hurting marriage), just like who I am now (a divorced single mom) – and I am compelled to keep reaching out with help and hope in as many ways as I can think of.

But you know what?  I’m tired.  I’m really tired. And I’m realizing that I cannot keep up this pace. It’s not good for my heart or my mind. Something has to change (I just don’t know what yet) but it’s starting with me taking a break from the blog during July to rest.

So this month, I will post something new every Wednesday; I’ll run reposts on Mondays and Fridays; my top five most popular posts are listed down and to your right; and I am slowly but surely getting each of my posts categorized correctly, so you can always just click on a topic to your right which will hopefully bring you to what you’re looking for. And if you want to make sure you’re receiving the new posts, sign up for my email list here.

Thanks for your sweet support, my friends.  Happy July, and here’s to rest…

Much love and gratitude,

Elisabeth