I’m still not sure where this year went. It was all a blur.

Looking back, here are some highlights:

In January, we considered three truths to remember when “Happy New Year” isn’t enough.

In February, I shared the news about signing a book contract for a memoir with Discovery House.

In March we talked about how to see God’s power in the midst of our limitations.

In April I got to crash portions of the Festival of Faith and Writing and met some of my favorite online friends in real life!

In May I shared some summer staycation ideas for families with kids.

In June I wrote about how Russell Moore’s response to Donald Trump challenged me.

In July, I compiled a list of 20 websites accepting writing submissions from Christian women.

In August, I celebrated two years hosting the fabulous Five Minute Friday community.

In September, we released the Five Minute Friday BOOK!

In October, the lovely Christina Hubbard hosted the third annual 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes.

In November, I got to interview one of my favorite authors, Lynn Austin!

And here we are in December!

What a year it’s been!

 

And now, since we’re rounding out 2016, here are the Top 16 Posts from Heading Home this year:

 

 

1. Secrets of a Charmed Life

This post continues to be the most read post on Heading Home. If you haven’t read the book yet, you might want to remedy that! Find it on Amazon here. (affiliate link)

 

2. The Song of the Motherless Daughter

A Facebook group called Motherless Daughters recently shared a link to this post on Facebook, and traffic surged overnight. I pray it was a blessing to some.

 

3. 20 Websites Accepting Writing Submissions from Christian Women

This was a fun post to compile. If you’re a writer (or an aspiring writer!), I hope you bookmark this list and refer back to it often.

 

4. I’m a White Girl from Michigan, and I’m #GoingThere

Originally written and posted in August 2014, this post is still getting traction. Wonder why … 😉

 

5. I Signed a Book Contract: Here’s the Back Story

Thanks to all who celebrated with me on the news of my book contract with Discovery House! A little update since this post was shared in February: publication date has been pushed out to 2018. Trusting that someone will need the words in that book at that precise time, according to God’s perfect plan.

 

6. Craving Connection: A New Book

Here’s a book that you won’t have to wait until 2018 to read! It was my privilege to contribute a chapter, and I can’t wait for it to release on January 10th, 2017! Pre-order here and get some fun pre-order goodies from the Craving Connection book website!

 

7. 12 Ways to Encourage Missionaries

I’m so thrilled that people continue to search for and read ways to encourage Christian missionaries. Maybe you could make it a goal to try one of the suggestions on this list in 2017?

 

8. An Open Letter to Grief

 

This post was first published in July 2013 and was the inspiration for my ebook, Letters to Grief. I wish there were fewer people who could relate to the intimate understanding of grief, but sadly, that is not the case.

 

9. An Interview with Author Susan Meissner

An interview with one of my favorite Christian fiction authors, Susan Meissner–who also happens to be the author of the book, Secrets of a Charmed Life (see #1 post above).

 

10. Sister, Let Me Be Your Servant

Why is it so hard for many of us to accept help from other people? This is one question I ask and seek to address in this post.

 

11. Five Words I Say to My Kids

I used to say these five words to my kids every day before school, but now my youngest usually beats me to it …

 

12. How to Make Your Blog Awesome: New Expert Advice

This was a fun post to share, with news about a fabulous course from Fistbump Media. Still available for purchase here! (affiliate link) Start 2017 off right with an awesome blog!

 

13. Why Pre-Marital Counseling is Not Enough

 

14. Racism: What I Learned from Two White-haired Ladies

 

15. Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: How to Make the Most of Your Advent Season

A list of recommendations for the Christmas and Advent season.

 

16. My Love/Hate Relationship with Remembering

I wrote this guest post for the Mudroom blog weeks before it was posted–then it went live on the fifth anniversary of my mom’s death. Poignant timing for the words to surface.

 

That’s it! Which one was your favorite?

Don’t forget: There will be NO Five Minute Friday this week (or next week), but we WILL have another special edition link-up on December 28th.

The topic: Books I Read in 2016

Hope to see you there!

Thank you all for your faithful readership! You make this writing gig so worth it!

What were the most read posts on your blog this year? Share in the special edition link-up below!