5 Friday Favorites: May 9, 2025

   

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. Hope all of you had a great week. Drew came home from college this week which was both happy and sad because it means the baseball season is over. His team fought really hard in the first round of the playoffs - playing all three games of a three-game series but unfortunately lost two out of three. It was a fun season and we had a blast traveling around Virginia to cheer on such a great group of boys. Here are some favorites from the week.

1. Harrisonburg, Virginia

Drew's team played against Bridgewater College which is right outside Harrisonburg, Virginia. Steve and I had the best time in this little town. We had been there to visit James Madison University with Joe when he was looking at schools and once or twice for baseball tournaments, but this was the first time we spent some time really exploring the town. We ate breakfast tacos and had the BEST Blood Orange Margaritas on the rooftop at Magnolia"s Taco and Tequila Bar. We had some good BBQ Saturday night at Jimmy Madison's. I also had time to shop at some adorable boutiques before the game including The Yellow Button and The Lady Jane Shop. 5 Stars for Harrisonburg. 

2. Drinks On Me Coasters

I found these coasters at The Lady Jane Shop. I searched for them on Amazon as well and found various sets available here.

3. Design Works Inc Journal

I found this journal at The Yellow Button and thought it was so pretty. but it was the snark that got me to purchase it.

4. The Four Seasons

I really liked this show. Truth be told, I'll watch anything with Tina Fey. I thought it was a funny and compelling look at long-term relationships - both friendships and marriages. Not sure it would be a favorite among younger generations, plus you DO NOT want to watch it (at least one of the episodes) with your kids, no matter if they're old enough or not. Unless you don't get easily embarrassed, I suppose. If you don't then, congrats, but you've been warned.

5. Welp. Shocker. It's the Baseball Players, again. 

The baseball bros will always be my favorite. This group of boys brought us so much joy this year. I have always hated the end of any sports season, but Drew was really close to a lot of the seniors which made it even harder to stomach this time. Watching big, strong athletes hug each other with tears in their eyes turns me into a pile of mush. Once again, as I have found so many times, there is crying in baseball. 

If I added up all the innings I've watched in the past 20 years it would be in the thousands upon thousands. We've got some more to come, and I won't miss a minute.

Y'all, have a great weekend.

Disclosure: The View From Behind Home Plate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn small fees by linking to amazon.com. Post might contain other affiliate links as well.

5 Friday Favorites: May 2, 2025

   

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. The baseball has been delivering lots of fun this week. The Texas Longhorns swept the Aggies last weekend which was particularly delightful. Today we're off to the first game of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference playoffs to watch Drew and his team, so I gotta hustle. Here are my favorites from the week.

1. Johnny Swim When the War is Over

My goodness, this song. Melodically it's kind of a downer, but I find it pretty hopeful, too. Also, you are allowed to roll your eyes at the fact that I just used the term "melodically" as if I know squat about musical composition. In any event, this song put me way deep into my feelings and my thoughts and my prayers. It seems like there is something very important in this song that goes along with some of the things that God has been trying to teach me in the last several months. Things I definitely don't have a good grasp on yet. See number 5 for the processing and the lack of fully grasping.

2. $8 Target Tank

These are my very favorite tanks for summer and they're only $8 each.

3. Anrabess Denim Short Overalls

I don't know if overalls are a clothing style that I have aged out of, but you're going to need to pry my overalls out of my cold dead hands. I ordered these last week. They come in a bazillion colors and are on sale for 23% off.

4. Scamanda

Why am I into yet another weird-woman documentary? I don't know, but this one is WHACK. It's on Hulu and is the story of a woman who faked cancer to get sympathy, money and internet fame. The lengths to which she goes to sustain her lies are insane.

5. On Becoming Like a Child

Alert: SO MUCH rambling and likely too much vulnerability for the internet. On a Friday, no less. You've been warned:

I've been thinking a lot this week about the verses where Jesus implores us to be like a child. This scene shows up in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.. 

"I assure you that if you don't turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3.

I have delivered not one, but two sermons on these verses. So let's just say that I have spent some significant time trying to grasp the concept.

Guess who still doesn't fully get it?

I've been struggling with neck and shoulder pain for over four months now which has led to an inability to exercise which has led to some depressing days with a side of good ol' rage. I've mentioned it before, blah, blah, blah. I'm so over it. Lots of physical therapy, doctors, injections, etc. When this passage came up again this week, I was thinking about the "kingdom of heaven" not as the eternal life beyond Earth that He promises, but more as a sense of peace and of healing that He makes available to us in the here and now. Take that as you will. I'm not a Bible scholar by any stretch. 

As I was walking my dog yesterday, I contemplated this verse again and asked (God, not the dog), "Why are you sending me this verse again? We've covered this one. And if I'm not doing it right, then, ok, so like, how? How are you asking me to change to be like a child? What is it I'm supposed to do? Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

And there was the problem.

This is what I heard (again from God, not the dog), "I'm not asking you to do anything. Stop trying so hard to do what is not yours to do. Stop striving, stop laboring, stop overthinking, stop managing and stop beating yourself up when all of your efforts fall short. I'm not asking you to do, I'm simply asking you to be."

I'm not saying that all was right in the world when that came to me. I'm still trying to figure out what it means to just "be".  I am objectively terrible at just "being". I understand the concept logically, I think. Of being still, quiet, surrendered, mindful. Of trying to sort out what is mine to do and what is His. But this "being" without "doing" is so far out of my reach lately.

As much as I have studied about grace and mercy, I still cannot get a handle on it. I honestly don't know what it is to not strive. To not try. And no matter how much I can write and preach about the fact that we don't need to earn God's love, there must still be something in me that seems to think that all my efforts will bring me His favor. That some way, some how I should be able to fix my problems. This is false. I know it is, but I'm finding it so hard to shake.

In the song I mentioned above there are some lines that keep rolling around in my head:

I've been waiting for so long, I've been holding out hope. 

I've been ready to fight. I've been ready to flee. 

Only wish I could remember how to live in peace. 

When the war is over, maybe I can try 

To be less of a soldier and a bit more like a child.

Very little children have it figured out. They simply are. They aren't, at least at a very early age, trying to soldier through life or to prove their strength. They understand their helplessness. I remember my little boys looking up at their daddy and saying, "Daddy, up! Daddy, up!" with their chubby hands reaching toward him when they were tired or scared or hurt. They stood there, simply being in need, with arms outstretched. They weren't trying to figure out how to make whatever they were feeling go away on their own. They knew where their safety and security could be found. Not in themselves, but in the arms of their father.

No matter how wise or strong or disciplined I have imagined I have been in this life? No matter how much I've imagined that the "good girl" routine has paid off? It was never me that brought any blessing, comfort, peace or healing I've experienced. It was always Him. I am to become like a child. One who doesn't have to do anything, but only has to be. Which is to say a child in need of a Father. Of a Savior. Of the One who carries me. The One who always has. Let us trust that He won't stop now.  

Bonus Favorite: Play Off Baseball

Go Cougars. 

Have a great weekend.

Disclosure: The View From Behind Home Plate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn small fees by linking to amazon.com. Post might contain other affiliate links as well.

5 Friday Favorites: April 25, 2025

   

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. I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend. We had a great time at Lake Anna with my dad, Kyle and Drew. Unfortunately, we missed Joe who is crazy busy with his sports broadcasting gigs during the Spring. It's becoming more and more of a rare event to have all of us together, but we are super proud of the boys' hard work in their careers so we take what we can get. 

Here are some favorites from this week.

1. Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke

This is a three episode documentary that I watched this week on Hulu. It is very disturbing and terribly sad, but I couldn't stop watching. I recommend it, but just know it's difficult.

2. Rebel Mint Chip Ice Cream

Let's take a sharp left turn from a creepy, tragic story of a crazy mom to a delightful non-tragic treat, shall we? I contain multitudes, friends. I found this lactose free, zero sugar ice cream at the good ol' Food Lion in Lake Anna and I thought it was great.

3. From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life By Arthur Brooks

My pastor mentioned this book months ago because one of the Men's Groups was reading it together. I ordered it for Steve and he's really liking it. Last week, I heard Arthur Brooks on this podcast. He's got some really interesting thoughts on how to navigate this season of life. I'm going to snag the book from Steve as soon as he finishes it.

4. Lennox Necklace

I have been wearing the fire out of this necklace. It is so pretty and versatile. It pairs with with both silver and gold and I love the link chain. It's $70, but if you purchase two items of lesser value (I'd suggest the Dainty earrings and the Impression Gold earrings) you can get it for only $35!

5. A Week with All My Boys (minus one Boy)

 

My guys have a really sweet relationship with my dad so it's always fun to see them together. They have a lot of common interests including a love of fishing and baseball. So it was great that Dad's 85th birthday on Saturday coincided with Drew's team playing a double header only a 45 minute drive from our house at Lake Anna. We also got to celebrate Easter with him. The weather was absolutely perfect. I am so blessed by this mess of men in my life. It was a beautiful week.

That's all for today, friends. I hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Disclosure: The View From Behind Home Plate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn small fees by linking to amazon.com. Post might contain other affiliate links as well.

5 Friday Favorites: April 18, 2025

   

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. I'm writing from Lake Anna where we are spending the week with my dad who flew in to visit this week to celebrate his 85th birthday and Easter with us. Spring has shown up just in time for his visit so we'll be watching some baseball this weekend and doing a lot of this:

Here are some favorite things from the week.

1. Sol De Janeiro 62

I am told these Sol de Janeiro fragrances are the faves of the young 'uns. Count me in. I got the #68 last summer and this summer it's going to be this one. It's got a really great beachy vibe. What does that mean exactly? I have no idea, but I like it. 

2. The Tell by Amy Griffin

I listened to this book on Audible last week. It's a very, very difficult subject matter so be aware. Saying that I enjoyed it seems like the wrong thing to say, but it was a really compelling story.

3. Rich Girls & Po-Boys Nail Color by OPI

This Friday Favorite comes to you from my friend, Becki, who texted me last night about spring nail polish colors. She chose this OPI blue color for her toes and it's PERFECTION for the spring! Love it.

4. Thief by Third Day

If you've been around awhile, you know that I post this song from Third Day on Good Friday every single year. It's one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard based on the Scripture from Luke 23:32-43.

5. When the Dream Comes True

Let me tell you a little story about this week, friends. It's a story that starts about 16 years ago. 

My son, Kyle, had a group of about six best friends who met in elementary school. These boys played baseball as well as a bunch of other sports, had more sleepovers and birthday parties than you could count, attended middle school and high school, and went to sleep-away camp - together. They were always - the mess of them - together. Your typical group of maniacs. Their moms and I piled that group of buddies into our SUVs on the way to . . . well, everywhere. We would listen to them talk about their big, crazy dreams. I knew how their little minds raced with visions of the day they would be in the big leagues. They imagined seeing their names and faces on the jumbotron. They believed these dreams would come true with all of their little hearts.

Listen. I could have stopped them.  I read an article years ago titled "Your Kid Is Not Going Pro". I knew the statistics didn't bear out. I never once thought that any of my own flesh and blood children would become professional athletes. (So sorry to break it to you, Skinner boys.) I suppose it's not even necessarily cynical. It's just reality . . .except when it's not.

Because this week I watched as one of those little boys strode up to the plate for the Seattle Mariners. We know him as BDub. Major League baseball knows him as Ben Williamson.

As soon as we found out on Sunday morning that our guy was going to the Show, Kyle and my husband, Steve, along with some other friends, made quick plans to meet up with our friends, Andy and Regena - Ben's parents - to watch him make his Major League debut in Cincinnati on Tuesday night. 

A side note: Steve and I have been friends with Andy and Regena since the boys met and I never once heard either one of them make any assumption - even in a whisper - that they expected their child to become a professional baseball player. Throughout his very successful journey, there has never been one boastful comment. They are as good a people you could ever find and so are both of their children, Ben and his sister, Emily. To this day, Andy and Regena will ask as much about our kids as we do about theirs. And they have cheered for all of Ben's friends' successes as much as we have cheered for their boy.

On Tuesday night, a couple of the other moms and I who were having serious FOMO got together at my house to watch the game. In between bites of pizza and reminiscing about Little League days, we tried to hold back our tears (unsuccessful, by the way). We watched in wonder as "little" BDub's face showed up on the big screen. And when he smacked a single to left field in his first Major League at-bat we screamed our fool heads off and lost our ever-lovin' minds as we saw our people doing the same right there in front of the whole wide world on the MLB network.

I thought about every single player out on that field that night. All of those boys. Or men, I suppose, but boys in the eyes of all of the people who knew them way back when. I knew that all of them had friends and family who had watched them grow up. They all had moms. Moms who had shared carpool duties with other moms. Who had made pancakes for a mess of little rugrats after sleepovers where they had put holes in the basement walls playing whatever destructive game they had come up with at 2 AM. Moms who had shuttled them to the pool each summer making sure to keep a headcount every once in awhile while screaming at them to reapply their sunscreen. Moms who had huddled in packs next to each other in the bleachers cheering for each one's kid as if he was her very own. And dads, too, by the way, who had done the same. And every single one of those players had heard the cynics and the skeptics.

So here's the thing: if you are one of those moms or dads out there in the world with a group of Little Leaguers who are dreaming crazy, statistically-unlikely dreams, just keep that reality check to yourself. In my experience, the kids figure these things out on their own. They seem to adjust their dreams accordingly all by themselves.

Yes, it's true. Most kids don't make it to the Show. But some kids? Some kids do. They sure as heck do.

Congratulations, Ben. We are so proud of you - of your hard work, of your perseverance and more than anything else of the man you have become. Thanks for letting us share the ride. GO MARINERS!

PS You can read about our boy's debut here. You know you want to.

Have a great weekend and a blessed Easter Sunday, friends.

Disclosure: The View From Behind Home Plate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn small fees by linking to amazon.com. Post might contain other affiliate links as well.

5 Friday Favorites: April 11, 2025

   

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, Friday. I want to say thanks to so many readers who left such kind messages of encouragement and prayer for my friend, Lori, and her family after the passing of her sweet momma. The service was full of joy and beauty as was Momma Sue. Memorial services have a way of nudging us toward a better way of being. I was grateful to be there.

Here are some other favorites from the week.

1. Live Wire by Kelly Ripa

I hate flying so I needed a book to keep me occupied on the flight that was light and would hold my interest. I ordered this book to listen to on audio. I used to watch Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (and then Kelly) all the time, but haven't watched in years. Since Kelly and I are very close to the same age and have children the same age, I was shocked to find many of her stories very relatable. No amount of money or fame can protect you from the emotional roller coaster that is sending your kids out of the house. I really enjoyed this one.

2. Mint Matcha Chip Smoothie

If you are local and can get yourself to a Greenheart Juice Shop, I can highly recommend the Mint Matcha Chip Smoothie. It was as good as a Shamrock Shake with the bonus that my stomach wasn't all jacked up for the next 12 hours after I drank it.

3. Blake Brown All in Wonder Leave In Potion

This is the second appearance by this Leave In Potion because I ran out of it while I was in Dallas and panic set in. Let's just say that my hair has been a WHOLE SITUATION in the past five years and this product has saved me from continued hair trauma. I never want to be without it.

4. Kate Spade Bud Vase

I was being super productive scrolling my phone in the parking lot of the grocery store willing myself to fight the wind and cold to go in when I came across these brightly colored bud vases. I think they are absolutely adorable. They're only $21 a piece and I think they'd make a really sweet gift for someone who needs a pick me up. Especially if it's your own darn self who needs it. (Raises hand)

5.  A Prayer for Knowing Your True Identity

My boys are big Red Sox fans and there is a new documentary out about the team. Yesterday our family text chain was blowing up with their thoughts on the documentary which I haven't watched. They mentioned that Red Sox outfielder, Jarren Duran, had revealed that he had been suicidal in 2022. I don't know the details of what he was going through, but he was apparently having a rough year on the field and wasn't living up to his own expectations or the expectations of the team and its fans. It reminded me that a few years ago, there was a softball player at James Madison University who died by suicide. At that time I read some powerful words from a woman named Sonya Mabry Mongero imploring athletes to remember how deeply cherished and loved they are by their Creator, just by virtue of their very being - not by their doing.

My boys have many friends pursuing their passions in athletics in high pressure situations. It's so fun to watch kids playing at high levels, but this week I was reminded that no one is immune from the emotional toll that the pressure to perform can take. In addition to that, I have witnessed so many kids work their tails off only to have their athletic pursuits ended or suspended by injuries, roster changes, and things out of their control. It is so important that all of us - athlete or not - recognize that our identity simply cannot be in what we do, in how well or how poorly we do it, in how others perceive us or in any one moment of failure or success.  

I am so grateful to have watched the way Drew's faith has grown apart from mine and his dad's. For me in times of struggle and hopelessness, Jesus has been the first and most present help. But no matter how often we tell them, teach them and pray for them, I know that it is ultimately only the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of my boys that will truly bring them the peace that surpasses understanding. A few weeks ago, I noticed Drew praying on the sideline before his game. I snapped this picture to remind me and him of where our hope lies. Because in my life, I think my biggest struggle is in the forgetting. In times of doubt or pain or fear, we must simply remember the words of Peter in John 6:68, "Lord, where else shall we go?" There is no better option than Him.

These are the words of Sonya Mabry Mongero.

You are more than your skill. You are more than a player. You are more than a position. You are more than a number. You are more than a stat. You are more than a teammate. You are more than an athlete. You are more than a student.  Your athletic ability is a gift from God, which He wants you to use for His glory, so that when others see you, they see Him.

Sports are a metaphor for life, not life itself. Sports are meant to be fun, challenging, competitive, and a lesson in how to work hard and play hard. Sports give you "a brotherhood from another motherhood" - a family that wins and loses together and treats both the same. . . understanding that THE RELATIONSHIPS are greater than THE RECORD and that wins and losses don't define you, but DEVELOP you into all that Christ wants you to be.

The life you live out before others and TO OTHERS, day in and day out, is far greater than the game you play.

You are a CHILD of the KING, fearfully and wonderfully made. You are my son. You are a student-athlete and you are loved beyond measure.

 Have a great weekend, friends.

Disclosure: The View From Behind Home Plate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn small fees by linking to amazon.com. Post might contain other affiliate links as well.

5 Friday Favorites: April 4, 2025

   

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.

Good morning, Friends. Happy Friday. I'm off to Dallas today to attend a celebration of life service for my bestie's momma. This stage of life continues to shock us even though we knew our parents would age and leave us here. The number of times I have asked myself, "How in the world is one expected to live without her mom?" in the past two years is infinite. And now another daughter has to walk through it. One that I love with my whole heart. But there is nothing like a gathering to honor a woman who served God, her family and her friends with unrelenting love and joy to give you perspective on how to live life well. I don't think there is a "life coach" anywhere in the whole wide world who could teach me more about how to live a meaningful, impactful life better than Barbara Sue Craft Burnett. If you could pray for safe and easy travels for her friends and family today and for the hearts of those who loved her, I'd appreciate it so very much.

1. Spring - Ed Sheeran

I really love this song.

2. Dr. Scholl's Madison Lace Platform Sneaker

I tried these shoes on recently and they were so comfortable. So many cute colors, too. I love this sky blue.

3. Rosemary Mint Hand Soap

My sister-in-law's birthday is in December and mine is in January but we hadn't been able to get together so we had a little gift exchange last night. She gave me this fabulous Rosemary Mint Hand soap and it smells so good. I don't know who the genius was that came up with that scent combo, but it is perfection.

4.  A Really Cute Top that May or May Not Actually Arrive

Listen. This top might be the dumbest thing that I've been suckered into buying on the world wide web and if you've been around this blog for awhile, you know that's saying something. It's one of those things that has popped up on my Instagram feed 7,000 times, but I kept getting sketchy vibes from the website. I think it's so cute and would look adorable with white jeans and my new Dr. Scholl's sky blue shoes. Who knows when or if this thing will show up and what it will actually look like, but I felt like it was stalking me so I went for it. Stay tuned. It might not really have "5 Friday Favorites" status, but I will report back.

5. Momma Sue

My best friend from high school, Lori, is one of the truest blessings in my life. It doesn't matter if we don't talk for months, we can always pick up right where we left off. Lori makes me laugh harder than just about anyone. She can get me giggling with just a look. She loves me unconditionally and is one of the most gracious, giving people you will ever meet. She makes everything a celebration - she is joy in human form.

When my mom died, after I talked to my brother and before I could get in touch with my sister in California because it was so early there, I called Lori and sobbed and shuddered into the phone. I needed to talk to someone who knew my mom and who knew how important she was to me. Lori cried with me and then she didn't let a day go by without checking in those first few weeks. She drove into our hometown bringing pies and hugs and love. She made us laugh, cleaned up the kitchen, set the table for everyone to eat all the food that kept pouring into the house, ran errands and offered to take the boys out for awhile to experience Bootsburger's - our hometown burger joint which has the best burgers in the entire state of Texas. We all ended up going for burgers because if you know you know. In all the fog and grief of that week, what shined brightest for me was my best friend.

You know how you get a person like Lori? She gets raised that way. So as grateful as I am for her, I suppose my gratitude should be as equally pointed toward her parents who are known by all the 80s kids who grew up in our (then) little town as Daddy Duke and Momma Sue. Those three with me in the photo above are my favorite Texas Aggies in all the world and they love me despite the fact that burnt orange blood runs through my Texas Longhorn veins.

When we had sleepovers at Lori's house in high school, Momma Sue woke us up singing "Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory!" at the top of her lungs. She sang a special song for me: "Jenn Jenn, you make my heart spin! I love you JennJennJenn". She made everyone feel loved and seen and welcome in her house. She hugged tightly and often. She loved the Lord fiercely and was one of the finest examples of being the hands and feet of Jesus to her community that I have ever known.

Gig 'em, Momma Sue. I know that T'Sip Patsy met you at the gate and y'all are watching over us. Please help us feel your presence near us. We don't know how to do this without you.

Have a blessed weekend, Friends. Live well.

Disclosure: The View From Behind Home Plate is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn small fees by linking to amazon.com. Post might contain other affiliate links as well.

5 Friday Favorites: March 28, 2025

   

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 last weekend of March. April is coming and we've had little glimpses of Spring this week. The other day I heard a pastor say that Spring is the evidence that in the cold and dark of winter, even though we couldn't have perceived it, God was working all along. Bring it on.

Here are some favorites from this week.

1. Veep

My son, Joe, has been so frustrated with me because the number of times he told me that I would love the show, Veep, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus is infinity times. For some reason, I never would start it. This week I finally decided to watch and I flew through the first season. I then promptly sent Joe a text saying, "I can't believe you didn't ever tell me to watch Veep. This is like the best show ever. I'm calling a flagrant personal foul on you." He replied, "There's no way you could've  known." Sarcasm is our love language.The actors are perfectly cast and the dialogue is so quick and smart that I have to rewind to be sure I don't miss anything. 5 Stars.

2. Universal Thread Linen Jumpsuit

There is no world in which I need another jumpsuit/romper, but alas, this one is on its way to me. It comes in black, olive and blue also. I'm not sure how long the Target Circle discounts are happening, but I think they are still in play today. There is some great summer style at Target right now and the discounts are pretty fire.

3. Fresca

Listen. I'm over a decade late to Veep and now I'm going to bring up Fresca which according to the Internet has been around since 1966. I've really got my finger on the pulse, friends. This is the thing. My sister and I were discussing the rough patch we both seem to be having in our relationship with wine these days. For some reason, even if I drink one glass of wine lately, I sleep terribly and I feel like garbage the next day. I'm not saying we're breaking up, but we're going to start seeing other people. Add this new revelation to the 753 symptoms that menopause has so kindly delivered to my life.

While I love a Cosmo, they are a bit labor-intensive for making at home. So, Fresca with a splash of something else has entered the chat. The Fresquila, the Frodka or the Frumsca. We're workshopping the names. They're not great. No matter what you want to call it, this is my new cocktail of choice. It slaps. (Sorry for all the bro lingo. Can you tell I've spent a lot of time with the 20 year olds lately?)

4. Square Aviators Take 2

I bought these sunglasses last year and mentioned them here. I love them. But I sat on them last weekend. I ordered another pair because they're only $14.00ish with the coupon. So you can sit on them at will and not feel too bad about it.

5. Some Words on Following His Voice - Mostly from Kate Bowler

This week I spoke at my church's Wednesday service. It's legitimately my most favorite thing that happened this week. The Lord has given me many opportunities to speak at my own church and other local churches in the past several years. If you would have told me ten years ago that this would be something I was capable of, I would have called you a lunatic. And every single time before I walk up to the front of the congregation, I tell myself I'm a lunatic for agreeing to do this. Every. Single. Time. But, God, amiright? 

Along with writing this book I've been working on for the past twelve years ;-), my soul tells me these speaking gigs are God's call for me. Maybe you've heard that still small voice calling you to something new as well? Or maybe that dream you had tucked way down deep in your heart years ago is pushing through again? I think many of us who find ourselves inching toward a new season of life without the responsibilities of raising decent humans, not to mention without the carpool schedule, find the possibilities of how to live out the rest of this one precious life both exciting and terrifying. 

Did I hear You correctly? Is this Your voice or mine? Because if it is You, why am I so unsure? Is this dream my plan or Yours?  And why does acknowledging that I really want to do this - the writing and the speaking - seem not only scary, but even a little embarrassing? Because if it really is You, then in the words of Psalm 8:3 "Who am I, Lord, that You are mindful of me?" 

In the past few months, I think I've been hearing God clearly. There have been new friends, new opportunities, new hope. I'm stepping forward in obedience, trying to quiet my own shaming voice of self-doubt who is so very loud. These are tiny steps forward that seem to require such enormous faith.

This week I read a poem in Kate Bowler's book, Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day. Maybe it will be a blessing for you if a new dream has shown up or the old one won't die no matter how stuck in self doubt you have been. It was an encouragement for me to just keep listening. Just keep moving. Just keep trusting. 

God go, and I will follow.

Because truly, I cannot lead.

I cannot drag myself forward,

chin up and eyes on the horizon,

when all I see is the mud

caking around my feet.

God, go and grace will follow

I've seen it all before.

How in the smallest moments

the tiniest efforts

multiply in your wake.

We've seen the sun rise 

over an empty tomb

and life spring up from nothing but dust,

so all things considered,

I suppose I should finally believe

that you could do a lot with this day,

my life and these weary limbs,

and learn to follow

the God who goes first.

Have a beautiful weekend, friends.

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