5 Friday Favorites: July 21, 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.

Hello and happy Friday. My favorite thing is air conditioning. The end. Just kidding. Here are some more things from the week that I liked - all less than air conditioning.

1. Pretty Baby Brooke Shields Documentary

I watched this documentary this week. The main word that came to my mind was "infuriating". The way Brooke Shields was treated by the industry, filmmakers, photographers, the people who interviewed her, the media in general, her own mother and even by the public - and I include myself there - is infuriating. She was just a child. Ugh. As disturbing as parts of this are, it is a really great watch. She's an impressive person - and the 80s were whack, y'all.

2. Truth I'm Standing On - Leanna Crawford

I heard this the other day. I had been praying for my own grieving heart, for someone whose child is suffering from addiction, someone going through a divorce, someone grieving the loss of a young wife and mother, someone dealing with job stress, someone fighting depression and someone struggling with health issues that no one seems to be able to figure out. Some weeks the list of "someones" is so darn long. This is a beautiful song and a beautiful reminder that God's promises are true, even if you're having a hard time believing it.

3. Baked Sweet Potato Cubes

I continue to have to figure out what to feed all the people in this house. This week Drew suggested sweet potatoes, so I found this recipe. Everyone liked it and it was really easy. Especially because I found a container of cubed sweet potatoes at the grocery store. A girl cannot possibly be expected to cut up a sweet potato into cubes in the middle of the summer. Or winter. Or ever. 

4. Dorm Stuff

Drew leaves for college in less than a month and I have not purchased a single item for his dorm room. Neither a sheet nor towel. Nada. Tell me this is your third kid without telling me this is your third kid. Yesterday I thought I would start searching Amazon and decided that this will be my first purchase. I also like this one.

5. Talk to you later

I don't want this space to turn into Debbie Downer's Grief Journal. But I guess I've always made #5 a deeper thought than something I found on Amazon. Truthfully, I'm not thinking many deep thoughts lately. Most of the week I try to avoid deep thoughts, actually. I'm still distracting myself with books and tv and podcasts and baseball games and busy-ness. Or maybe I'm just living life. This weekend I listened to some voice mails saved on my phone from my mom. They didn't make me cry. They didn't launch me into despair. They were not difficult to listen to. They just made me confused again that she's really not there to call back. When does this seem real? I think I hope it's never.

"Just got off my Zoom call from Bible Study. Call me back. I'm not going anywhere. Love ya." 

"Hi. On my way home from bridge. I had so much fun. I had the BEST cards. Call me back. Love ya." "Well, I missed your call. Going to the grocery store. We have no food. Talk to you later. Love ya."

I still have so much to tell you, Mom. Questions to ask. Mundane life details to share. I can never remember exactly how to boil eggs correctly. We have to discuss the Jeopardy questions. Did you get that one right? I need you to tell me when I worry that "this too shall pass" or "to take a deep breath and count to 10" or "put on some blush and lipstick, you'll feel better". I need to tell you what book I just read and ask you what you're reading. I need to tell you that hilarious thing Joe said that made me laugh for 20 minutes and what Kyle did in Nashville this weekend and how Drew made a great play at the plate yesterday. When I get all spun out about the wide open future for my boys and all the "what ifs" that I create in this muddled up mind? I need you to ask me again like you always did, "Honey, do you trust Him or not?"

I'm trying to trust Him. I'm trying so hard. Talk to you later, Mom. Love ya.

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