The Ladybug

Tag: Updates

  • Hello…It’s Been a Minute! And You Can Help with My Come Back! 

    Welcome Readers of The Ladybug Blog! Here are some important updates! First, I took a break from social media and daily writing. This was a much-needed rest time due to physical illness and mental exhaustion. In western first world society we are encouraged to hustle, and rest is looked down on. However, taking a break is also a luxury that many in this world are never afforded. I do not take the blessing of stepping away lightly. I am thankful to recharge and now…come back! 

    Second, I will be typing away again now, and I hope to return to regular blog and Substack posts. Please check back frequently at the links in my bio! In addition, this is the 48th post of The Ladybug Blog. I have decided to make a major announcement for the 50th post with some exciting news that readers will NOT want to miss out on! Look out for that coming soon!  

    Third, I would like to share in this post about a new goal of mine. Throughout my time writing for The Ladybug Blog, I have frequently discussed my love of walking for charity causes. Well, I have had to slow down in recent months. My physical health has been a barrier to achieving mileage and physical fitness. But I have addressed my need for healthy exercise with my professional care team. With their help, I am being guided in ways to return to being “in shape.”  

    With a view to health and social justice causes, I have signed up for the Abby’s House 50th Anniversary Hybrid Virtual 5K Walk in mid-October 2026! Raising funds to support Abby’s House is a deeply personal cause for me. Abby’s House is a shelter and safe place for abused women and children located in Worcester, MA. Domestic violence is a cruelly all too common occurrence in relationships. Abby’s House provides a safe landing for women to save and re-start their lives. I cannot emphasize enough how important their work is!  

    Now, your turn! There are two ways that you can support me! You can directly help Abby’s House by sponsoring me for this walk at the following link: 

    Gaelle McLoud – Abby’s House 50th Anniversary Hybrid 5K Run/Walk

    To gain assistance from Abby’s House for yourself or a friend/family member, you can visit Get Help | Abby’s House

    Finally, you can aid me by reaching out to offer a friend for me to go on a training walk with, followed by an iced coffee or iced matcha green tea latte! I have approximately 3 months to get physically ready to walk a 5K after an extended period of doctor enforced bed rest. It is going to be hard for me! But I am determined. If you are feeling extra generous, you can meet both of my requests for help. I appreciate your support. Let’s Go! 

    Blessings and Sunshine, G. 

    Here are some pictures from the beginnings of my training:  

  • New Announcement: Business Creation Day 

    Today was an important day in my new writing career.  I have now created a business account for The Ladybug, my blog, with a new version of Microsoft Word.  I feel a certain sense of pride, as if I have done some serious adulting.  My blog is still in its early stages, with this 29th entry, as well as my bio, but the joy I find in creating it has me committed for the long-haul.  Originally, I viewed the blog as a place to combine religion and politics first and foremost.  I felt a special interest in these topics as a pastor’s daughter and as a self-proclaimed progressive Christian.  However, I have found that writing about my personal life has become interesting and never-ending.   

    My health has been a huge struggle in my life for the last 6 months, both physically and mentally, after a tick-borne illness diagnosis in April 2025.  I had to take an “Incomplete,” grade in my college course, and take to my bed or my parents’ couch for weeks on end.  My blog, The Ladybug, has remained one of the only outlets left for me to achieve in. Due to cognitive changes from the illness, such as intense mental fog and confusion, schoolwork and other creative pursuits fell by the wayside.  But I could write!!  

    Which brings me to this article.  My computer no longer had a viable source of Microsoft Word as of a few days ago.  I had to choose whether to invest in myself and my crazy typing, or to give up and admit that maybe the cards were stacked against me…not a chance!  Instead, I am doubling down on my efforts to bring unique stories and opinions about this multi-faceted thing we call life to The Ladybug and my readers.  I consider no topic to be “off-limits.”  There will still be politics and religion involved, especially given the times we are living in and current news stories.  However, I will now include an even wider repertoire of posts.  I also would welcome messages from my readers about ideas you would like me to write on.  The sky is the limit!  You can message me through Facebook (Gaelle McLoud), Instagram (@gaellemcloud), or WordPress.com where I post The Ladybug.   

    In addition, I have another project in the works that I hope to share soon.  It is a writing journey that I have been on for 12 years now, and it is still not finished!  But…shh…more on that when the time is right.  God is Good, and I have found that even in the darkest times, He can lift me up!  My writing has always been a gift to me, and now a passion I get to give to others.  I hope you enjoy it! 

    I’m doubly excited to share this change with all of you and look forward to feedback!  And a reminder that you can directly link to my blog by following www.theladybug86.com  

    Blessings, wonderful readers!  The best is yet to come! G.