As December, and 2015 for that matter, comes to a close, I find myself looking ahead to the future while simultaneously reflecting on the year we’re wrapping up.

Our immediate future, tomorrow, kicks off January’s theme of STORY. And that’s sort of perfect, because isn’t that what we’ve been doing for the past 12 months? Sharing our stories, our hearts, our lives right here in this courageous community?

I’ve put together a list of 15 of our most-read stories from 2015, because this metric can be attributed two ways. First, to the writer – their story spoke to a vast number of people, and that’s pretty amazing. Second, I attribute it to you, our readers. You read something and it touched your heart. And rather than close out of it and continue on with you day, you SHARED it! You made a difference. So this list becomes a celebration of you – our writers and our readers.

Hats off to each of you.

15. Docked by Julie Severson

14. We’ll Keep Dancing by Erin Duffy

13. Taking Out The Trash by Lori Wenner

12. More Than I Love You by Rachel Macy Stafford

11. For The Teachers Who Are Mothers Too by Kara Lawler

10. Roots And Wings by Teri Biebel

9. For Kole by Emma Swartz

8. How Do You Measure Motherhood by Ruth Dawkins

7. 10 Things I Learned From The TV Show Parenthood by Angela Youngblood

6. I Hate My Baby, A Postpartum Story by Heather Holter

5. His Death Taught Me How To Live by Brooke Schoen

4. My Kind Of Guy by Maureen Stiles

3. Love Your Teenage Daughter by Rachel Cheff

2. Dear Congress – I Think You Have Forgotten by Katie Coppens

1. Life Is Always Messy: Say Yes Anyways by Kristen Welch

I am struck everyday by the sheer number of you who are willing to take the time to read, comment on and share each other stories – it is a beautiful thing. And I (biased as I may be) celebrate EVERY SINGLE submission that we receive, whether it ends up being published or not, because what a gift! I would like to sincerely thank every single writer who sent us a story this year, and every single person to who came to our site and read these beautiful pieces. You’re all incredible.

Happy New Year Mamaloders!

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