the end of an era

After nearly ten years of blogging (how am I even old enough for that to be true?), I’m making the move to Substack.

I won’t be deleting my blog, but I won’t be posting here either. I’m hoping Substack will allow for more community and connection – assuming I can figure out how to use a new platform.

My blog will always be something I look at with fondness, in the way you do when you see photos of yourself as a teenager. You might shake your head at that haircut or that outfit (or those friends or those decisions), but for me there’s mostly a sense of wanting to hug who I was (with a little bit of “now you listen here…”). How can I judge myself harshly when I wasn’t as mature then as I am now? When I think about how much I’ve experienced since I first started writing, it’s no wonder my opinions on certain things have changed, it’s no wonder my writing has improved. This blog has seen me grow up.

It is slightly daunting to admit the change in platform, because it means losing subscribers and it means starting fresh. But that’s also why it feels exciting to me. It feels necessary, it feels like it’s time to start something new. And that’s not turning my back on everything I’ve written in the past, it’s allowing room for what’s to come. To refine what I’m trying to say and who might be reading that.

I do have vague plans to publish some of my old poems that I’ve already shared on my blog, and I might share a few of my latest posts, but other than that I won’t be delving into the archives to publish them on Substack. My blog feels seasonal, and I think it’s time for that season to wind down.

This week has seen me stand before God with a pile of ashes. Open hands filled with I don’t know what to do with this and I didn’t even know I was holding this and can you redeem this. The jump to Substack is, surprisingly, related – like the ashes were the trigger point to making a change. Like the ashes were the launching pad I needed to just go out and start something new without letting logic prevent me from trying.

Moments like these might seem chaotic on the surface, but when I look at these times, I see God. I see Him guiding His people to the next thing, even when they don’t fully understand. I see Him holding out His hands and asking us to trust Him, to accept an invitation to live more than what we already are. There is so much unknown, but there is so much more God.

In saying that, here is the link to my Substack!

Thank you for joining me on my blog over the years and for the comments and encouragements. There is no pressure to find me on Substack, but if you do, know that you have my full appreciation, just as you have here on my blog.

Sarah xx