Since my kids are out of school, this will be my last post here for a few weeks. I’ve also been praying about whether this is what God wants me to continue doing with my time. Here’s a story that will show you some things that have been on my mind lately.

I’ve written a few times about my experiences at the Glorieta Christian Writers’ Conference in New Mexico last fall. At this conference, everyone eats meals together in a cafeteria. My parents and two of my daughters came too, and sometimes I ate with them, but one morning I went to eat breakfast at a table with a sign that said “Children’s Writers.” So everyone at the table was either a children’s writer or interested in becoming a children’s writer (I’m still a dreamer).

I didn’t realize this was one of those “divine appointments” God arranged for me. I sat next to a girl named Michele, and as we talked, we kept saying “me too! me too!” We realized we had a thousand things in common. After breakfast, we walked around the lake together to reach the chapel for the morning worship and devotional. We had both signed up to meet with the same editors, and we went to the same workshops. I was overjoyed to meet someone I shared so much in common with.

We’ve bonded even more through months of email — and I recently opened up and told her I wasn’t sure what to do about my blog. “It’s all over the place.” I said. “I don’t want to waste people’s valuable time reading it — yet I don’t really know what God wants me to keep writing about.”

“What’s your passion?” she asked me. “What do you really care about?” I thought for a while, and I told her that I really enjoy sharing my faith, as well as helping women feel encouraged in their daily lives. That’s why I’ve interviewed people and reviewed books here — as well as participated in the online Bible study and the Carnival of Beauty.

Then the word “wellness” came to my mind. “I’m passionate about wellness,” I told her. Women’s wellness. Through that discussion, I remembered that the subtitle for my mother/daughter book was “Reflections on Living Well.”

Living Well. Living Well. Living Well. The phrase stayed in my head for a few days. Then I got an email from an editor of a blogging network who invited me to take over their “Women’s Wellness” blog. I prayed about it for several days, and the more I prayed, the more I felt this “yes” from the Holy Spirit. The opportunity seemed good, as well as the timing. (And it will be nice to make a little income from blogging!)

So I accepted the position. My new blog will focus on what unites us as women — women from all cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles. We all want to be healthy — and wellness to me implies a balance of living well physically, mentally, emotionally — and yes of course, spiritually. I’ll be posting on current news and happenings in the wellness field.

I don’t plan on abandoning my blog here — it will still be my “home base.” I’ll come back and let you know when I get my other blog going, and I plan on posting here again after my “summer vacation” is over in August. I’ll also let you know when the new edition of Christian Women Online comes out — I’ll be reviewing books in my “Book Buzz” column there more often than I review books here. I also plan on reviewing wellness-related books in my other blog.

I wish you all a safe and happy summer!