5 Friday Favorites: April 30, 2021

 

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.

Happy Friday! I was away for a couple of weeks and it's great to be home especially because IT IS FINALLY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SEASON AGAIN. I WILL BE SHOUTING ABOUT IT FOR MANY DAYS. THANK YOU, SWEET JESUS. 

As you might guess, when we had our first game on Tuesday, I was so excited I was about to jump out of my shoes. It was 84 degrees and sunny and beautiful and I really thought my smile might crack my face wide open. So that was my very favorite thing this week. Here are some others. 

1. Knox Rose Dress 

This Knox Rose Sleeveless Smocked dress is only $27.99 and it's a really cute and comfortable for spring and summer. It's listed as red floral, but in real life it's closer to pink. The hem is a little longer in the back than in the front. It would look cute with boots and a jean jacket when it's cooler or with wedges when it gets warm.

2. Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb

I know I already mentioned the book, Henry's Sisters, a couple of weeks ago, but I finished it this week and it is definitely my favorite book that I've read this year, if not of the past couple of years. It's funny, sweet, disturbing, and painful which is pretty much what real life is like. I loved the relationship between the sisters and their brother and I cried my eyes out when it was over. Highly recommend.

3. Old Navy Tank Tops

These Luxe V-Neck Tank Tops are really soft and come in lots of colors. They're not too fitted, but instead are loose and flowy. And I've just decided that loose and flowy seems to be a vibe I'm attracted to these days.

4. Swimsuit Cover-Up

It was in the 80s here this week which really made me excited for summer time. I think this shirt dress swimsuit cover up is so cute. It comes in a ton of solids and prints. I'm not sure how sheer these are, but depending on that and the length, I'm thinking it could be worn as a dress as well. Might be a great Mother's Day gift, too.

This mix blue print is adorable.

Add this foldable beach hat for Mom (or your own self). And don't forget this awesome facial sunscreen. It is THE BEST.

5. On Drinking from Old Wells  (via Annie F. Downs)

Last week I was in my hometown in Texas at my parents' house checking emails. I opened a newsletter from Annie F. Downs - a popular Christian writer and speaker. Annie talked about drinking from "old wells" - visiting places you've known for a long time and where God has been faithful to you. Places to which you might return to remember God. She urged the listener, if possible, to go to those places and ask Him again to be faithful. 

I don’t believe much in coincidence, so the fact that I read this email as I sat at my parents’ kitchen table mere minutes from more "old wells" than I could count really wasn’t a surprise. I grabbed the keys to my mom's car and set out to find as many of those familiar wells as I could. 

I went to the courthouse where every Fall we held a Homecoming Parade and pep rally. This little town square was a place of joy and camaraderie where my friends and I adorned our cheerleader uniforms with mums as big as our heads. It was undoubtedly an old well - one where God taught me about the importance of community and loyalty. 

A block away sat the old Methodist Church where a sunny-faced pastor named Walter taught about Jesus when I was in elementary school. It was there that I think I first understood that the perfect love of Jesus could be shown by imperfect humans. As sunlight streamed though stained glass, I drank from a well that placed in me a deep need for the church.

I drove by the football stadium where I spent countless Friday nights. I stood on that field as a high school senior after our last home game weeping my little 17-year-old eyes out. I cried not just for the loss on the scoreboard (thanks a lot, Terrell Tigers), but for the loss of game nights under the stadium lights with friends I had loved for so long. I was terrified of leaving them and my hometown, but God proved faithful again. He went with me. He went with them.

Throughout the week, I visited other old wells. I stopped at Sonic and Whataburger because OF COURSE I DID. I drove by fields of bluebonnets and watched the sunset over Lake Ray Hubbard.

Each time I’ve faced new seasons for which I feel fully unprepared, I admit, that I’ve wondered if God would continue to show up for me. My most persistent prayer of late has been this: Please, Lord. Let everything I’ve thought about You, said about You, and written about You prove true this time, too. Last week when I visited so many old wells, I found that they hadn't run dry. The Lord's faithfulness, His trustworthiness, His grace, and His presence do not dry up. As I approach new wells - unfamiliar, dark, and deep - I will remember. They are full of living water. The promises of God are true and real and good. They’re available for me every single day that I am blessed to wake up again. I think I'll grab my cup. Thank you for the encouragement, Annie F. Downs.

Have a blessed weekend, Friends.

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