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Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

Say Something. (#Write31Days)

October 8, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 3 Comments

Day 8/31   3-31days

Thumper’s father was correct. If you cannot say something nice, you really shouldn’t say anything at all.

But, contrary to what I may have thought– life is not a Disney movie. Whether we are talking about the manners of adorable woodland creatures or the perfect hair of Rapunzel (who by the way had never had a trim in her life– think about that for a second–) LIFE just does not go that way.

And people are mean. They say rude things. Awkward things. Sometimes they feel awkward and because silence frightens them they say something– anything at all to fill the silence– and it comes out… and more than just being unhelpful, it’s plain mean.

With children, we are always trying to build them up. It is a quite a push and pull of building them up in love, helping them to see how wonderfully they were created and yet allowing them the benefit of humility. It’s quite a difficult dance, teaching them to love God and see how He loves them– and yet not raise little egocentric humans. Sometimes the last thing I need and want is to have the wrong people making deposits that might define their self-worth later on.

This week it was some random lady at the mall, she was helping us with something and in a moment of silence (which wasn’t all that awkward until she made it so–) looked down at my precious 5 year old and said, “WOW. You have some really big feet!” 

Lucy and I both had our jaw dropping moment and then I tried to politely correct her by pointing out to Lucy that her feet were perfectly made for her body. But what I wanted to do? Picture a Mama Jaguar verbally pouncing on this errant woman who cluelessly just interjected something on my child that she’s NEVER before questioned about herself. Oh, I really wanted to put her in her place. 

But the fact was and remains today, that my little Lu was still watching me to see how I would respond. And unfortunately, that will not be the last time someone “pins” something on her that doesn’t belong… I want her to have the peace of heart to let it slide right off.

More than that even, I pray she is so aware of who she really is with each coming day. Not that her skin is thick, but that her heart is gracious. Gracious with herself. Gracious with others who make mistakes. Grace all around. 

People will be human and make bad choices, and the sad fact is sometimes they will affect our children. Even something little like that– it does leave a mark, though hopefully a small one. Because she remembers– she made mention of the size of her feet a few days later. And my heart squeezed when she did– because most of us carry around things that people pinned on us early on, and true or not– sometimes they stick around longer than they should. And she is not even close to middle school yet. Talk about things that make me nauseated.

But in the midst of it all– I know my role in this. Keep praying for her little heart. Keep pouring on the words of truth. Keep our home an environment of love and kind words as much as possible– which isn’t always easy with two sisters.

And every chance I have, I will fill her heart with words that matter. I will say to her how marvelously she was created. 

And I thank God that He sifts through our shortcomings and makes beautiful things.

Stuckey-55

Go. (#Write31Days)
So Happy You Joined Us… (#Write31Days)

Comments

  1. Jacqueline Heider says

    October 8, 2014 at 9:53 pm

    Beautifully said! I knew you could do it!! 🙂

    Reply
    • happygostuckey says

      October 14, 2014 at 9:28 am

      Thank you for the PUSH in the right direction friend. 🙂

      Reply

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  1. 31 Days of Writing Free in October | Happy Go Stuckey says:
    October 8, 2014 at 9:46 pm

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I'm Cynthia and I'm so glad you're here. I am an introvert with an extrovert's love of gathering people together. I love good books and capturing moments. Whether you visit me here or on my own front porch, I'll be the one holding the Iced Coffee for us both.

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Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. T Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. There. I said it. These days I’m gravitating to the true & the beautiful as rest for my weary self... and I wonder if you are too.

So much so, that I’m starting a new little offering, it’s called “The Feast: Wonder for the Weary” and the first issue goes out this weekend. It’s a bit more personal (okay this first one is WAY more personal. 🤭) It will be a little bit of everything, all with the goal of offering REST to both the feasters & foragers alike. If you’re already a subscriber— no need to do anything, if not— click through my bio to “keep in touch” and join the feast.✨
We are a people of both lament and praise. We hol We are a people of both lament and praise.

We hold questions without answers— yet we hold them in hands already full of good things.

We hold our daily bread, our daily gifts, and we hold the daily closeness of the God Who Sees.

The God who is no stranger to our lament, and Who Is the reason for our every hope.
He does not grow weary of our asking. Of our need to be told again, He will. 

You friend, are not invisible.
You are seen and cared for by the God who does all things well. (Even when they feel anything but.)
Married love ambition: making the kids roll their Married love ambition: making the kids roll their eyes at our “gushy-ness” as often as possible. 

President & CEO of the Lance Stuckey Fan Club— in every season, but especially on days like today.
Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty k Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty kitchen.😍🌧📚

On this chilly Saturday, we spent entirely too long browsing for books at our library and then all came home to a fire, mochas, and cocoa, respectively. Of all the things we do not know at this very moment, we know the gifts abound, and are worth counting.

PS, if you haven’t spread whipped cream on a foil-lined baking sheet to freeze, and then cut out cute shapes with cookie cutters to top your coffee or hot cocoa, may I suggest you get thee on that at once.
“If God sends us on strong paths, we are provide “If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.” — Corrie Ten Boom

✨File under, things to save in a fire.✨

The prayer journal pictured here contains six months of the hard & the sweet.
Six months of prayers asked & answered for ourselves and for others.
Six months of seeing through prayer, not how it changed our circumstances necessarily but how it changed us.

I always appreciate a record like this— being able to clearly see the paths we are led down, rocky though they may be? Priceless.

The ways God has come near us & drawn us to Himself again and again are written on these pages and I’ll treasure it forever.

Also pictured: Psalms Illuminated Scripture Journal. Highly recommend. Thank you always, @allifarnell
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it th “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

While scrolling through my photos today, my heart was heavy to realize how far back “before” was.

Before masks and distancing, before loss, before other, more personal bits of hard. Multitudinous change, neither all bad nor all good.

With our free time, we’ve introduced our girls to Tolkien, Bilbo, Frodo, and especially Samwise the Brave. They are officially hooked and we are delighted to watch them discover another world where evil doesn’t win, and the courage of the small matters much. {they close their eyes at the Orcs and we haven’t had a nightmare yet!}🤞🏻😂😬
I’m leaning increasingly more into the analog th I’m leaning increasingly more into the analog these days.

It started with the Sourdough and a dozen different kinds of jam last year.
I suddenly find great calm in activities that stand in direction opposition to hurry, the textbook definition of ✨work in progress.✨ And really, if you could see the other side of this piece, you would believe me. 🙃

Thank you to @thebarmyfox for making embroidery so accessible!
@thenester says, “It doesn’t have to be perfec @thenester says, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful,” and I believe that the weeknight meal equivalent is, “Just because it’s easy— doesn’t make it a second-tier supper!”

Thank you, Spaghetti with Meat sauce for being both a ministry to mom AND a crowd pleaser. Especially on a dreary January-ish day. It is ✨quite alright✨ to make something we’ve made a million times just because we know it makes the people happy.🍝
I saw a magazine cover this week advertising the h I saw a magazine cover this week advertising the headline, “Ditch Gratitude!” 

This is my “No thanks,” face.
My grateful face.
My you-can’t-make-me-face.
Because no matter how long the list of things we still don’t know, I know I need gratitude like water.

Questions remain. Uncertainties abound. Reasons for concern greet us with each January dawn.

Hope remains and so do questions. The two have never been enemies, but cozy next door neighbors.
I’ll keep my gratitude, thank you.
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