peaches and cream (& 4 favorites)

  When you come to the end of one heck of a week, and you're still in a funk, what's a girl to do? Throw on a summery dress, put a braid in my hair, brew a cup of sweet strawberry tea, sit in the sun and paint my nails bright red ...all for no reason at all. Just because it's Saturday and I have nowhere to go. 

 This past week was sweet, ordinary, and flavored with lessons learned about the fragility of life. When the ordinary monotony of a Friday afternoon coffee date meets the heart-pounding realization that all I hold onto and take for granted could be taken away in a moment. When you're sitting around a high wooden table at a coffee shop talking about nothing in particular at 3pm, and then at 5pm your phone rings and the person you just shared lattes and laughs with says,"I've been in a car accident...but I'm okay." One cannot help but be hit with the realities of life. 

  After rushing to the scene of a car accident (finding that everyone was okay - thank the Lord) I drove home last night watching the sunset taking a bow behind rolling hills while the cresent moon began his night shift, climbing up into the evening sky...and I remembered something. One sunday at church when I was a teenager, a sweet lady from our congregation that I barely knew took me aside, tears filling her eyes and she said this:

"Erin, I was praying for you this week.

And I felt the Lord put on my heart to tell you this -

your life will not always be peaches and cream,

but He will always be with you.

And He will always love you."

 And yes, she was right. Our lives are not always perfect, peachy and sunny. But He is always here and He is always with us. He always loves you and me.
And that, my dears...is oh so simple and beautiful.

And in my never ending quest for the fullest, most beautiful life possible, I am realizing that life is messy and scary and amazing. And we have to bravely wrap our arms around all of it.

  Embracing the hard and the good and the sweet, trusting God in His plan and loving the people around us even when it hurts. Drinking in the amazing moments and taking the bitter sips of life one by one with strength and faith, knowing we have hope in Jesus.

....and I wrapped my arms around my favorite things this week and drank the sweetness:

{tea for two with my mama}

{dinner over a surfing picture-covered table}

{my newly blonde sistah}

the always-brunette little sister decided blondes really do have more fun this week!

and of course, this called for an impromtu photoshoot.

now we are both fair-haired and loving it.

{a sister's night out and an empty theater}

where we could laugh as loud and talk as much as we wanted.

Can't forget this.... even though it's a day late -

Friday iPhone Photo Drop

{from instagram, to follow search: erin_sweetnessitself}

 

 

 

Embrace your life. The peaches, the cream and the not-so-sweet too.

It makes us who we are.

And God is always there

and always loves you.

And if you need to - throw on a flowered dress and braid your hair.

It just might help.

XO

Erin

"My soul finds rest in God alone.

My salvation comes from Him.

He alone is my mountain and my salvation."

-Psalm 62:1-2

ps- happy superbowl weekend!!