5 Friday Favorites: February 17, 2023

 It's time for my Friday link up with  A Little Bit of Everything and Momfessionals. 

On Fridays I share things that made me happy from the week - a photo, a song, a quote, a beauty product, a recipe, a pair of cute shoes, etc. If it's a product, sometimes it's something I actually own and sometimes something I just saw online that gave me a smile. Sometimes it's serious and sometimes it's silly. I suppose I believe that God is in the simple details of life and yes, I can even find Him in a tube of lipstick.

It's been a minute, but here I am. And here are some favorites from the past few weeks, along with A LOT of words. They might not make sense, but there are a lot of them. ;-)

 

1. Stutz on Netflix

This documentary that Jonah Hill made about his therapist is really good. I took some notes because he really gives some great, practical advice. I really enjoyed it and will be thinking on it for awhile.

2. Jumpsuit from Wal-Mart (YES. I said Wal-Mart)

I follow Anna Mae Groves on Instagram and she is the cutest thing. She showed different ways to style this boiler suit and I thought it was also the cutest thing. Then she said it was from Wal-Mart and I almost spit out my diet Coke. I immediately bought it from our local store and wore it three times in one week. This resulted in my smartass husband saying, "Getting your money's worth on that one, huh?" Whatever. I love it. 

3. Zestt Travel Scarf

Here's a little something that my good friends and all the people in my Bible Study know about me, but maybe I haven't mentioned here. I hate flying. Not because I'm scared of turbulence or crashing or engines blowing out or heights or because I don't trust the pilots, but because I'm incredibly, ridiculously claustrophobic. I have legions of people praying for me when I fly because if that plane is sitting on the tarmac for long, your girl is going to freak the freak out. Anyway, my friend, Lori, gave me this travel scarf recently and I took it with me to Florida. There are all manner of ways to wear your travel scarf so that you look stylish and confident as you travel, but this is how I did it once we were on the plane  - sort of an "I've been taken hostage" look that Steve apparently got a big kick out of. 

4. Democracy White Absolution Jeans

I ordered these white flare jeans because even though we've had a mild winter, I am way over it and ready for spring. My grandmother would be so ashamed, but I will be wearing these well before Memorial Day. I love them because they are not high rise and that's really hard to find these days. AND today they are 47% Off!!!

5. A Couple of Getaways

In the past few weeks we've traveled a bit. We had a great time in Knoxville visiting Kyle as usual. Even though the Horns lost to the Vols in hoops and never even seemed to be in the game at all, seeing the guys who I usually scream at from my couch up close in real life was fun. I tried not to scream too much. 

Despite the obscene gesture from Kyle, the food, the fun and the company was the best of the best. I'm trying not to think about the fact that since Kyle graduates this year, our days in Knoxville are numbered.

Also, Steve and I took a quick trip to Florida and even though it's a cliche, the ocean and sand and sun really do make everything better. I literally felt my shoulders release and my breath steady as soon as I stepped out of the Uber into the sunshine. 

I realize that not everyone can get away to Florida in the middle of February for all kinds of reasons and I'm so grateful we could. We had miles left from a trip we were supposed to take over a year ago which got cancelled when three of five of us got Covid. We were finally able to use them last weekend. 

Here's something I thought of while I was gone. I think the term "self-care" has been so overused these days. I guess I feel like since everyone puts everything out there into the universe, a lot of ideas are overused. We can tend to take anything to the extreme and talking about self-care makes me feel kind of icky. Perhaps it's because I am fully aware that my life is ridiculously easy compared to so many others, so the whole concept can make my eyes roll out of my head. That's probably something I should work out with Jonah Hill's therapist/ ;-)

There are no deeply disturbing tragedies happening in my life right now - at least not ones that most of my friends my age aren't dealing with as well. Parents getting older. Children leaving home. Being married for a long time and looking at the prospect of being just two of us when for so long it was all five of us. What am I supposed to do with the rest of this one wild and precious life? And sweet Jesus, what is this fresh hell called peri menopause? There's just life. And change. And uncertainty. And people I love aren't always going to be here. And all of those things? Are always true about a life. Always. 

But in some seasons. those burdens just feel heavier. If you find yourself staring at an ocean and crying all your tears without even really knowing why, you might realize that although you talk the talk about laying everything at the feet of Jesus, you apparently have not been walking the walk. Maybe you even preached an entire sermon on how often the Bible tells us "Do not be afraid", but you've been swimming in fear and anxiety for a few months. Maybe even though your "word" for 2023 was "trust", you realize you've been pretty sure that the One who has held everyone you've worried about and loved for your entire live long life was just about to drop them like a hot potato. 

Maybe self-care isn't about manicures and massages. Maybe it's not about sunny vacations and drinks on the beach. Maybe it's not even about sleeping in and silence. Maybe it's just about finding a way to believe you are cared for by something bigger than you are. Something that is better at it than you are. I don't have a real good answer and it seems to me that when I think I've found an answer, it doesn't always stick for very long.

This is what I know - or at least knew for a bit over the weekend. The ocean was vast and deep and big and wide. So much bigger than me. It can make you feel small. But for some reason, feeling small didn't make me feel insignificant. I felt like God had made the ocean just for me. And He was saying, "Look at what I've done here. What do you think? Do you believe I can do big things? Here I am. Do you see Me here? Do you believe I am who I say I am? Do you even believe what you have told other people about Me?" 

And it didn't feel judgy or accusatory. It just felt reassuring. It felt like He was showing up for me in the biggest, deepest way to remind me, "Hey, if I have to bring you all the way to the edge of the Earth to remind you, I will. I am here. I always am. I have them. All of the people who you love. I have them in my sight, in my thoughts, in my plans, in my very hands. And I have you. And I'm not dropping any of you. You're going to forget again, Jenn. You will. But I'll still be here. And if you'll just take a breath, open your eyes and look past all of the worry you've created in your head, you'll see Me. Keep trying, girl. I'll wait."

Those are the words that came to me after a few weeks of no words, friends. They're rambling and messy and they might mean nothing to anyone but me. But I felt seen this weekend. I was nothing more than a tiny speck of a human on a wide sandy beach. But He saw me. He picked me out among the grains of sand and chose me to be one of His own. He chooses you, too. I hope you can believe it. Have a blessed weekend.

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