Lessons from Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

I'm an avid reader, especially at the beach. I devour books while I'm here...it's part of my beach experience. I just finished reading Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman and I LOVED it! I don't want to give the story away but I was moved by the wisdom that jumped out on every page and the lines I found myself reading again and again. I love when a book not only makes you part of their story, but causes you to pause and reflect on your own life. Life lessons poured from the pages of this book.

So, without giving away the story (I hope!), here are my 10 favorite quotes from Saving CeeCee Honeycutt...

1. "That's what friends should do, cherish the good and pretend not to notice the harmless rest."
2. "Life is full of change, honey. Thats how we learn and grow. When we're born, the Good Lord gives each of us a Life Book. Chapter by chapter, we live and learn...When a chapter of your Life Book is complete, your spirit knows its time to turn the page so a new chapter can begin. Even when you're scared or think you're not ready, your spirit knows you are."
3. "It's what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us."
4. "It's how we survive the hurt in life that brings us strength and gives us beauty."
5. "Don't go wasting all them bright tomorrows you ain't even seen by hanging on to what happened yesterday. Let go, child. Just breathe out and let go."
6. "Now there's something else I know. You might not think you're grieving, but grief comes in all sorts of ways. There's the kind of grief that leaves you numb and the kind of grief that rips your world in half. And then there's another kind of grief that doesn't feel like grief at all. It's like a tiny splinter you don't even know you have until it festers so deep it has nowhere left to go but into your soul. I think that's the hardest kind of grief there is because you know you're hurting but you don't know why."
7. "Don't grow up too fast, darling. Age is inevitable, but if you nurture a childlike heart, you'll never grow old."
8. "...It's my fire...everyone needs to find the one thing that brings out her passion. Its what we do and share with the world that matters...far too many people die with a heart that's gone flat with indifference, and it surely must be a terrible way to go. Life will offer amazing opportunities, but we've got to be wide awake to recognize them...it's in that you'll find your calling in life. That's where true happiness and purpose lies. You'll never be fulfilled if you don't."
9. "That's life out there. See how it's movin? Even the leaves on the trees is movin. Life don't wait for nobody, and even as special as you are, it ain't gonna wait for you, neither. So it's time to make up your mind you're gonna join it."
10. "But if you have so much fun, then why don't you get together more than once a month?' She looked at me like a wise old owl and winked. 'Do something too often and it stops being special."

And a bonus quote I just thought was funny...

"But lately,' she said, wiggling her bare toes, 'I find all men to be very much like wearing high heeled shoes--I love how pretty they make me feel, but by the end of the night I can't wait to get rid of them!"

What's your favorite summer read so far?