Because That's What I Taught Them...{& In Which I Announce Concrete Words Writer & Give Link-Love}

When the leaves start to lose their chlorophyll as the sun gets less bright, my girls will get on that huge orange bus that always comes like a freight train and grass blowing and tossed in it's wake. They'll travel to new places unknown, take on new adventures. Things might look scary to them, from way down there where they are, looking up at adults with sticks and rulers and older, teenage girls kissing a boyfriend in the hallway.

I had my chance to teach them and in a bittersweet turn, it's come to an end. I hope I taught them well. I hope that respect and quietness and reverence they have about them stays with them always. I don't plan to give up my role as teacher. I hope the lessons I've placed deep in their hearts makes them rise tall and blossom and I want to see them fly.

I know if my little one gets shoved down into the dirt on the playground, she'll cry, dust herself off, and yell at them to "STOP!". I'm not afraid, because I know my girl. She's tough. The stuff she's made of is what has made me go to bed crying some nights.

I know if my nine year old gets held back a grade, or made fun of for her smallness if she moves on ahead, that she'll laugh that contagious giggle, and tell them it just makes her quicker and cuter. I know she'll have an endless amount of comebacks, because she's dealt them out at home often. She has no problem making her mind known, and letting her confidence shine.

I know if my oldest girl walks shakily onto the high school campus and is overwhelmed by all the classes and work, and has nightmares about not being able to find her classroom, that the strength and solidity I see in her will see her through. She will navigate tough, unknown waters with sureness and capability.

I know, I just know that if they fall, they will get back up, dust themselves off, and try again.

Because that's what I've taught them.





Honestly, I think this was more like 8 minutes--schooling the girls so intensely has my brain literally running at the speed of a sloth. At 5 minutes, I think I had, like, a total of 3 words.

**On Fridays I join Lisa-Jo and the #FiveMinuteFriday Community. We write for five minutes flat, with no extreme editing, no worrying about perfect grammar, no worrying if our words sound just right.

"Unscripted. Unedited. Real."--Lisa-Jo Baker

The one-word prompt this week: FALL.


 



Now for #concretewords highlight of the week! The writer I'm highlighting this week for #concretewords is:

Janel Andrews at Pour Cette Temps for the Afternoon--absolute stunning write. Janel hit the Concrete word nail on the head!

***Don't forget that lovely Ashley Larkin will be guest-posting here, this Monday, June 10th at sixinthesticks for our prompt, the Morning! Give it your best shot and show me what ya got! Ashley will be picking her favorite post linked-up and will announce it on social media and possibly also on her blog next Friday!! Don't miss this--Y'all please come by and give Ashley some lovin'! {Also, Ruth Povey will be taking Concrete Words on July 1st--mark your calendars!}



Here, y'all, just some randomness for your weekend, some laughter and link-love to inspire that I wanted to share with you and which I've been compiling over the last couple weeks.... {Have a lovely weekend, friends...}

Thought it'd be fun to share..what I wore Monday...my favorite necklace, a "Faith" necklace {And I'm not a faith-necklace-wearing-girl, but Kashoan made me into one} made by Kraftykash --GO! Check out her cool stuff.

A very funny Southern woman that had me chuckling--laughter is medicine to the mind, body, and soul....


This 1,000 gifts video and this article about a 14 year old boy with an amazing talent, shared by Ann Voskamp--well. worth. taking a look. It's these kinds of creations of beauty, of pulsing life that keep me going when I only see darkness on this fallen earth...

This blog post by Preston Yancey--I see a new trend amongst writers, and it's refreshing. Makes me sigh relief--that we could just keep the one thing the most important thing--the gospel, not a different or new one that we've heard, but the true one...

This one is amazing by Ann Voskamp...women need this one--then scroll down to the free print-outs--I'm printing these out, folding them with love, thinking of those I'll send them to, with a sigh of contentment in my heart...maybe reaching out to someone is what you need to heal those broken places, too?

This one by Duane Scott--I'm A Christian and I Drink Starbucks--so do I , Duane, so do I. Love his heart.

Amazing write by Amanda Hill--Be Still, My Soul  --"And the silks, oh the silks. Without a harness at all, these incredible species of human beings climbed and bowed and swayed and made love to dangling ribbons from the sky..."

This Five Minute Friday write by Alia Hagenbach that made tears well up, because we've all been there, in some way or form...

This blog post by Jen Hatmaker--one of the absolute best blog posts I've ever read, possibly. Definitely on my top ten. You will laugh. Hard. And it will be good for the soul in so many beautiful ways. I promise that--especially if you're a mom.

This good one by Lisa-Jo Baker--this one hit me in the gut--I've done this, and I know love isn't about me, how good (or bad) my home looks, I'd love to throw my arms open wide and welcome friends into the chaos....

An important article on drowning as we all take our families to the pools and beaches this season...Your kids will not make a sound if they drown; read this to know what to look for...