Bubble Wrap Girl

I'm so proud of this one. Proud because Kari is a friend of mine. We went to Luther Seminary together and were in all the same classes. She now lives in Alexandria, Minnesota and is a pastor at a Lutheran church up there.

The week before Alden was born we got a book in the mail from her. And lo and behold it wasn't just any book. It was a book with HER NAME ON IT. Kari wrote it and this book is darling. My kids love it and we have read it many, many times.

It's all about a girl who is fed up with getting hurt when she rides her bike or plays with friends. So she has her family wrap her up in bubble wrap to prevent further injuries.

The story shows how problematic this actually is, as the bubble wrap always gets in the way. So she decides to be brave, even if it means risking an injury. As Kari wrote on her own blog, "if I can do anything to inspire someone to be brave, to go after what is good, right and beautiful in the world, rather than sit along the sidelines or settle for what society says is the way things will be, I want to do it." And isn't it sweet that the story in her book about Izzy, and the very fact that Kari PUBLISHED HER OWN BOOK (!!!) both have the very same motivating message for me: join in. Be brave. Do it.

I suppose we're all wearing our own bubble wrap of sorts. Insulating ourselves from disappointment and failure and hurt. But Izzy took her's off. Kari took hers off too. And I'm super inspired.

You can buy Bubble Wrap Girl on Amazon, online at Barnes and Noble and at itascabooks.com