My One-Year Blogging Anniversary!! (And An Exciting Announcement!)

Introduction

Today, June 30th, marks the one-year anniversary of my blog, The Moonlight Wanderer.

I can't believe it's already been an entire year since I published my first blog post, but it has been. Looking back, the time seems to have passed by so quickly. Yet so many things have happened this year.

God has taught me so much through blogging, from brainstorming meaningful post ideas, to writing and publishing consistently, to building and polishing up my website. It hasn't always been easy. In fact, some days have been quite frustrating, especially when it came to figuring out technology, but when I finally overcome these obstacles, it feels like a wonderful triumph.

New Email List & Monthly Newsletter!

Speaking of that, I wanted to let you all know that I've officially started an email list! 😄 Making it was a lot of hard work, but it is all so worth it! WIX is a great site for bloggers, but the number of emails users can send to readers each month was very limited. I started my email list both because of this and also because I wanted to start sending out monthly newsletters.

In addition to being notified with each new post, subscribers will receive a monthly newsletter, as well as subscriber-exclusive announcements, such as giveaways, writing contests, and other exciting opportunities!

Monthly newsletters will contain:

• Life & Writing Updates

• Writing & Storytelling Advice

• Inspiration Quotes & Poems

• Book & Movie Recommendations

• A Short Devotion

• A Recipe!

• Announcements & Blog Spotlights

If you have already subscribed to my blog and receive notifications when I publish a new post, then there's no need to re-subscribe! I've added you to the email list already. But it would also mean a lot to me, if you had the time, to share the following link with friends, family, and fellow writers who many be interested: https://themoonlightwander.wixsite.com/the-moonlight-wander/connect

Reflections & A Thank You

Blogging has been an incredibly fun and rewarding challenge. Having a safe space and audience with which I can freely share my thoughts, beliefs, stories, and everything in between is truly one of the most wonderful blessings a writer can experience. Even just seeing how much my writing has grown in a year makes it all worth it.

But like I said before, it hasn't always been easy. Life always has its ups and downs. Long days; short Days. Days I can't wait to be over. Days I wish would last for ever. Strands of extreme productivity, overwhelming busyness. Strands of mundane routines, sitting beside the window and wishing for more. And days in between. Sad days, cheerful days, quiet days; stretches of intense heat and humidity; blizzards; storms of lightning and thunder and pouring rain.

A lot happens in a year. The earth changes. The world changes. People change. Life changes. We change.

But perhaps that's one of the beauties of writing, of blogging—-being able to mark the passage of time with our words.

I couldn't have done this all without you. Thank you. Thank you for being here, for reading my words, for all your emails and comments. To connect and share part of myself with readers over the globe is something I will always be grateful for.

Thoughts & Advice to Bloggers

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

—-Proverbs 3: 5-6

To all the new bloggers out there, I won't pretend I have plenty of experience. But I do believe I've learned that the most important thing when it comes to blogging—-when it comes to so many things, really—-is to make it enjoyable and meaningful to you.

Of course we all want to grow our platform and make an impact, but none of these will matter if we lose our love for doing it in the first place. Just keep being yourself, keep learning, keep writing, keep letting yourself grow, and don't let the stress and worry of everything else get in the way. God has a wonderful plan destined for your life. Keep your heart open, and trust in Him.

Top Posts!

Top viewed post: Too Cold To Cry - A Poem —- This is a poem I wrote in the winter, based off the tragic tale of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. This story touched my heart when I read it as a little girl, and I wanted write a lyrical poem with the same despair, darkness, and hope woven within.

The Post That Took The Most Time: My Top 10 World War II Era Films —- This is a pretty unique post about my favorite World War II era films I watched in 2024. Not only are they my favorite WWII films, some of them are my favorite movies of all time. These films actually inspired me to write my first historical fiction WWII short story, which was actually also the first story I've had published! This post took the longest to write due to the research, compilation of the list, and synopsis of each film.

My Most Unique Post: The Beauty of Sailing: Embracing The Slow Journey —- This is my most unique post because it was a blog swap I did with my friend Autumn from Shades of Art! In this post, Autumn shared an important message on a concept I'm sure we've all pondered before, while I wrote a post for her blog about the life and death of one of the best musicians in the world.

My Favorite Writing Posts: Everything You Need to Know About the 3-Act Story Structure and The Music of Storytelling: Keys to Writing a Timeless Tale  —- I love these two posts because the content in them are things I have to constantly remind myself. The first one is an in-depth overview of the 3-act story structure, and the second is my thoughts on stories that make an impact on the world.

The Post That Was Most Fun to Write: Chasing Sunbeams: A Summer Blog Tag —- This post was super fun and exciting to make. It's all about summer!! Who doesn't like summer? The best part of writing this post is seeing (stalking...) everyone else's answers to these summer-themed questions. (Shout out to Maya; Willow; Emma; Cecilia; Lizzie; Hannah; Jonas; Eva; Stephanie; and Kav!)

My Favorite Post of All Time: Whispers of the Night: Finding God Among the Stars —- This was one of the first posts I've ever written, and I think it'll always be my favorite! It's about finding hope, joy, and majesty beyond the world in things we often overlook, and thinking beyond the box of our own problems.

Conclusion

As I close this post, I find myself once again filled with gratitude. This past year has been quite a journey. Through every post, every comment, every new connection, God has reminded me of the beauty in small beginnings and the power of words to reach hearts across time and distance.

The Moonlight Wanderer began as a dream, a quiet whisper of creativity stirred in late-night musings. And now, a year later, it’s become a space filled with stories, reflections, and community, a place where I’ve been able to walk alongside others, even if just for a little while, under the same moonlit sky.

To everyone who has read, shared, subscribed, or simply wandered by: thank you. Your encouragement means more than I could ever express in a single post. Whether you've been here from the very beginning or just joined the journey, I’m so grateful you're here.

Here’s to another year of wandering bravely, writing deeply, and trusting God fully, one step, one post, one prayer at a time.

With all my heart,

—-Julie

The Moonlight Wanderer