Swinging Back and Crockett's Beach

So on my way out to the beach yesterday morning, I stopped at a local store to get Josie and I some donuts and something to drink. Now this is a good 'ol local store called the Keag (gig). It is in a prime location to service the local fisherman and it is run by good 'ol Maine people. Kinda rough around the edges but they will give you the shirt off their backs.

I struck up conversation with the cashier. I thought she had a cold, she informed me she was just hung over.

She pointed to a young girl that was also behind the counter with her and told me that a girl at her school had smacked her in the mouth and all she did was walk away. Now they (the kids at school)are all giving her a hard time because she didn't fight back. I can only assume the lady behind the counter was a relative, not sure though. So anyway, she asked me my opinion, "If someone smacks you in the mouth, do you hit back or walk away?"

Now, as a woman, I think I have a pretty good gauge of beauty. I'll tell you that the young girl (she is a freshman in highschool) is beautiful. Perfect skin, very slim, beautiful silky brown hair. She is a natural beauty, with no makeup and even in her bulky sweatshirt and pair of rubber boots over her jeans and not even the cute pink polka dotted pair of boots you can get these days, a big pair of black fisherman rubber boots you could tell she was a good lookin' kid.

Ok, so anyway, after looking at this young girl for just a second, I said without hesitation, "You walk away."

This was not the answer the two of them were looking for. The lady bristled at my response and said that she had been telling her all morning that she should have swung back. At that point I gringed and said that her true friends won't give her a hard time. This girl said "Well, none of them are my friends, I don't have any."

I was shocked, she was so pretty, how come no one was her friend?? Jealousy, did she show weakness, had no one ever told her she was beautiful?

We talked a little bit more and I left and went on my way with my 20 month old daughter, had a great time at the beach and I have not been able to get this conversation out of my head. Here I have this wonderfully carefree, full of life and spunk daughter who I truly believe that everyone will see her as a friend. Then I see this beautiful teenager, who was once a child, and she can't even manage a smile because of the torment that she is going through. If that woman was that girl's mother, I totally understand the encouragement to hit back. The more I think about it, if anyone who would go so far as to smack my daughter, they better duck. I would have to suppress the urge to swing back as well.

I guess I'm thinking about it so much because my husband and I do not agree on whether I should homeschool or not. He is quite adament that our children will be attending public school. I know my daughter will more than likely be in this position some day, walk away or hit back, walk away or take that drink, walk away or have sex. Pick your friends wisely, don't let peer pressure get to you, trust in God, what would Jesus want you to do....these are all things I will be teaching my children but will it hold up??? Will they be able to withstand it all???

Now I really wish they could stay babies. It goes too fast and then I can only protect them so much. This is where a strong belief in the power of prayer for God can always protect them better than I ever could.

I have actually prayed that the Lord will bring this young girl back in my path so I can be sure to tell her that she is beautiful and she is strong for walking away. I hope that this is not the end.

So after all that, here are some pics from our excursion to the beach!!!













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