"Wait, so is it okay if I drink at church? Like for communion?"

Kelle Hampton is so profound. I freaking love this, 
"The big things that make us come alive are the tiles that will change the world. But the small things that make us come alive are the grout that holds the tile in place. We need the grocery store pumpkin displays and weather shifts. The pajama hugs and syrup puddles on Saturday morning waffle heaps are where the big ideas run to quench their thirst."
Don't you love that? These things are the grout in my life that hold all of the tiles in place...

Visiting Trulock down the hall, 8th graders that have become a huge part of my life, notes on the board from kids when I get back to my classroom...

Reminders and kind words from YL girls that I look at every day...

Spending time with FBC girls after school because that's where the real conversations happen, where friends connect, where we knot and tie as we talk in a rhythm we all love...

The life saving staples of Diet Coke and friendship bracelets in the afternoon, having Haleigh show up every day at the end of 6th period for Cadet Teaching, long dinners and heart to hearts with YL girls like Megan Cook that I freaking love...

Writing and reading-- letters to and from dear friends, blog posts that you can't help but share, good books you can't get enough of, Top 10 lists like these two I found today that are still so true four years after I wrote them...

Today I was talking with Megan Cook about how you have to know yourself and love yourself well. It drives us nuts when people live without passion, when they settle for being bored, when they don't even know their favorite food. There is so much to be excited about in this life.

What are the tiles in your life going to be? How will you change the world with your unique talents and gifts?

And what are the things that will be the grout holding it all together? What are simple and small things that help you breath easier and make each day worth it?

I found these words today and fell in love-- with the message and the font. Your tiles and grout don't have to be the same as anyone else's.

I sent the words above to a few friends today and every single one said that it was just what they needed to hear. Isn't that crazy? All of us feel this pressure to do what everyone else is doing but we feel this extreme weight lifted from our shoulders when we realize it's okay not to. One of my friends said, "You know when something connects to you so much and you get all warm and sweaty knowing how true it is, but you don't know what to say? That's me right now." Yes, yes, all the yeses.

And just in case you need to hear it one more time... These are beautiful words for you today too.

 I wonder what you'll come up with if you make a list today of the tiles, the big dreams, for your life and the grout, the daily joys, holding them all together. If you haven't thought about it lately now is a good time to start.

Honorable Mention Blog Title:
"I don't know where I'm going to go for college. I was five minutes late because I was trying to figure it out."