Just a Kid

They say I’m just a kid

Not even eighteen

Sometimes I feel like a kid

But sometimes 

I feel like an adult

They think I’m immature

I don’t have what it takes

Sometimes I feel broken 

Like I’ve had more than I could take 

Maybe I got too much too soon

They say I’m not ready 

For the real world out there 

Well who’s to tell me what I can take? 

How am I supposed to be ready 

Without going through something?

And given the chance

 I never would have taken this path 

But God gave me the path I’m on

And it forced me to grow 

So maybe I’ve seen more than you think 

And maybe I’m stronger then you know 

And maybe the pain I feel now 

Has shaped me to be like Christ 

And maybe in the moments 

When I lose control of myself 

There is a small piece of my heart 

Wishing that my biggest problem 

Was keeping my temper under control 

And maybe when I cry 

Over the silly things 

It’s because deep down 

I’m longing for my innocence back 

And when I laugh 

I appreciate it more than you think 

Because I’ve known what pain is

You say I’m just a kid 

Not even eighteen

But I thank the Lord 

He allowed me to grow

Without saying I was too young 

1 Timothy 4:12

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

Just so ya know, while this poem is based on me, 'they' does not refer to my family at all. My family is the coolest. 

Also, speaking of my family, Happy Birthday to two awesome people. 

Dandelion Dust review and giveaway

About the book: 

Like a speck of dandelion dust riding the tides of a prairie wind, life is fleeting. Though I never realized just how fragile it was until that day . . .

Charity always had a dream. It was simple, really. Find a guy, fall in love, and get married.
The day she met Ryder, Charity knew he was the man God had chosen for her. But she never expected their relationship to be tested and tried through the fires of a freak accident. Suddenly, her world is thrown into chaos, and the bleak, white walls and sterile smells of a city hospital fill every spare minute. And then there comes the dreaded news. It was likely Ryder would never make it out of the hospital bed.
As her carefully laid plans for the future come crashing down around her and the sun seems to set on her dreams, can Charity still find hope in the dark of night?

Like a dandelion, life is beautiful. But treasure every moment. . . for one day, the flower will be gone.

Add on Goodreads

My Review:

I sat down to read this and ended up spending three hours reading it strait though. 

I was unsure about this book at first, I mean, I’m not really into books focused on romance (Which is what I thought this was). But that’s not what the book was. Dandelion Dust is a sweet, endearing book about love and growth. One of the best things about this book is that even though it does focus on the couple, it is more about learning to have true, Christ like love then just service love. 

I loved the main girl. And that ending. It was so sweet. 

The writing was not the best, but it was still very good. I really look forward to seeing how this author improves in future.

I only had a few (very minor) things I disliked. 

1. The priest being made an annoying character. I understand there are bad persist out there, but this really didn’t seem to have a point why he was bad. 

2. Spoiler! All the characters had nice, picture perfect endings. All of them had guys or girls they were interested in. It came across as a bit to perfect for me. End Spoiler

Overall, this was a very sweet book. 

Note: most of this book takes place in a hospital, so I would not recommend this to anyone who has an aversion to medical stuff.

*I had the honor of being an advance reader for this book. I was given a copy in exchange for my honest review.

 

About the Author

Faith Potts is a teenage writer, living with her family and beloved yellow labs in the southeastern US. When she's not writing stories, consuming large amounts of coffee, reading books, or creating pottery, she can be found laughing harder than is healthy, daydreaming, and – of course – blowing dandelions.

Writing blog: Stories by Firefly

Faith blog: Chosen Vessels

Social media: Goodreads // Pinterest // Instagram

Wait! There's a giveaway going on for two print copy's of Dandelion Dust! Check it out here.

I hope you check out this awesome book!

Red Balloon

Last week was one of those weeks that's hard to describe. We kind of turned the house upside down, and put it back together (psychically and emotionally). I pulled my sister out in the middle of all the craziness to get some photos of her with a red balloon we had gotten. She's pretty gorgeous if I do say so myself. I finally pinned down what I am going to do for Camp NaNo. I realized again how horribly behind I am on everything, and I'm okay with that.
I'm also having trouble writing a lot right now (Brain fog) so I'm going to cut this short.

Thanks for stopping by, even though I didn't have much to share.
Care to make my day? Comment below and tell me something that made you smile this week.

Our Foundation

This is 1 Corinthians 3:10-19

Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.  But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.

Stop a Moment and Be an Explorer

We were driving home from seeing a friend last Sunday, just my sister Sarah and I. All the sudden she pulled off into a little abandoned town.

"I thought you'd like to take pictures" She smiled. 

A mimosa tree bloomed over the old building. The whole place had an a air of peace. We quickly got back in the car and headed home, the 'no trespassing' signs keeping us from doing anything more then take pictures. 

Out the window, pink flared in the sky. I ran down to the end of the road, and my flip flops broke. My friend offered to drive me to a better place for pictures, So I hoped in the car with my camera and no shoes. It felt good on those country roads, with pink sky's above me.

We chased the sunset till it disappeared, then came home in the dark. 

We drove along, Rose and I. The clouds are light and fluffy. She slows down so I can get a picture of it with my gold nail polish.

A titmouse sat in our bush. We were already late that morning. I yanked out my camera and managed to grab a few pictures before I ran out the door. I was the last one in the car, but my family didn't mind. 

I tried on my pink dress, its for my sisters wedding. I had tons of things to do, but I stopped, and my sister captured its twirl for me. 

Slow down and explore the things around you; it doesn't take long. These have become some of my favorite moments from the past month. 

Stop a moment, be an explorer. 

Tell me about something you got to explore this month, please!

A Messy Heart

I come home at night

To a messy room

It doesn’t seem as messy

As my jumbled thoughts

I can’t sort though

All the stuff tonight

I just want to escape

But I’ve escaped

For so many nights

I’m afraid I can’t

Run any longer

I have to stay

And fight the clutter

Present myself

To the Holy One

And let Him slowly

Chip away at my mess

And maybe if I face it today

Tomorrow will be easier

Maybe I can win

By fighting harder then I want to

Story Bits

I would love to be able to tell you that I have been super productive this week. Unfortunately the best I can tell you is that I had one day where I worked really hard. I did manage to finish a novella I've been working on for a couple months now, which I was really excited about. So here's a bit from it, please forgive its unedited state. Its called "What I've Become."

Jerold's hands shook as he reached out for the door to the academy.

He would be just like his dad. Maybe it was better he didn’t talk to anyone. If he didn’t get close to anyone, he couldn’t hurt them. He wouldn’t do that to another person.

He slipped through the lobby as quietly as he could. Students filled the halls and he wished he could keep his cap. He felt so much safer when he could pull it over his face. But it was tucked in his pocket, and would remain there until he went outside again. Jerold fingered it, staring at his shoes instead of the students. If he looked at them, would they be able to see the fear in his eyes?

*****

Olivia paused in the doorway, her fizzled curls draping across her shoulders, a casual dress on, almost giving her the air of an innocent child. Until he met her eyes. They were troubled, deep pools of the pain she had endured, speaking when she was unable to do so. They flickered with worry now.

“What’s the matter?” Jerold asked, bracing himself.

Her eyes searched his, and her hand motioned to him.

He sighed “No, nothing’s wrong with me. I just had a bit of a rough start to my day.” He resisted the urge to rub his still aching ribs.

Olivia’s demeanor relaxed some, but her eyes still held a question.

Jerold pulled his cap off and shrugged out of his coat “It was just a kid who thought he could predict my future.”

Olivia’s hand rested on his arm, he glanced down at her. She rarely touched him. Her eyes pleaded with him.

He wanted to jerk away, to get away from her so he couldn’t get mad at her. Couldn’t possible hurt her. But she was so tender in her silent request he could not deny her.

"He said I was going to be like dad."

What do you think?

What You Wish For the Most

Sometimes the things you wish for the most

Are the things that hurt the worst

It doesn’t seem like it should work that way

But it does all the time

I tried to make myself believe

That it didn’t really hurt

But in the quiet moments

My heart broke again

May Highlights

Hey everyone! My May was just packed. The first eleven days of the month, I was on vacation. If you want to see the highlights from the trip, you can see them here. I'm afraid there are to many to share here. 

So here we go!

We went to San Antonio for the day. That was super cool cause we got to walk around and just have fun. I got a lot of photos and some of them were in my accidental photo dump post. Oups.

I revived my prizes for participating in Tricia Mingerink's release. That was pretty awesome. Not only do I now have the whole set of books, but I also have a small map of the fictional country its set in!

I helped my sister, Sarah, repaint her room. Since Rose is getting married and moving out next month, we wanted the room to be all nice and settled way in advance. 

Went singing in the rain with Rebekkah. We probably didn't hit one key right, but we had an awesome time.

I got to try out a photo booth for the first time, and a second! My sister and I did it, then me and my siblings found another and did it. We had a blast. 

I got to beta read Exiles by Jaye L. Knight. That was awesome, except now I want the next book and I have to wait a long time for it. 

I found a booked a photogerpher for my sisters wedding. It was really a God thing, because we don't have a high budget, but God provided someone willing to do it!!

I saw a movie being filmed. That was kinda fun. They were filming a bank robbery, so they had a fake machine gun going off and stuff. I would never got see the film, but it was fun to watch for a bit.

I had a really good book month! The lowest rating I gave was three and a half stars, and the book was still pretty good. 

I discovered four new five star books, which is just unheard of me doing in a month. But it happened with Brothers-In-Arms, Gift from the Storm, Exiles, and Screwtape Letters. 

Eighteen Pen and Ink

Strangers Twilight to Dawn

Fifth out of Eleven Fifth out of Ten

I Don't Have it Together Author of my Hope

My Bullet Journal The Introverted Extrovert

What Few Ever Know Lakeside Publications 

Spring Rain & Be The Change A Purpose and a Promise

How was your May?