The English Roses.

Last night, after watching my dad destroy a hornets nest that took its damage on my sister's foot (it's so swollen it looks like a literal block of cheese), I assisted my mom into watering the flowers. There are a lot of flowers too, all so very beautiful. In a reminiscent manner, I went upstairs and began going through some of my memory boxes. And then I stumbled across one of my favorite children's books: The English Roses written by the one and only Madonna.

It's a beautifully illustrated book that talks about the group of girls called The English Roses. In the story, there's a new girl whom the The English Roses choose to dislike because they know nothing of her except the comments they hear from others, such as "She's so beautiful." Jealously prevents them from being kind, and after a dream with a fairy godmother (not a children's story without one), they realize that the new girl has a very lonely life in which she works hard to support her father and continues to have no friends.

It's a book about friendship and being kind to all, for everyone is fighting their very own personal battle. This book has been dear to me because I've experienced friendships like these before, and they hurt because people assume you live a perfect life due to outside comments.

It's touching, and most inspiring. With all of the comments nowadays concerning statistics with teen suicide and cyberbullying, I think it's especially imperative that we are kind to those that we maybe don't quite know much about.We never know what people are going through and the gift of human presence has the power to change so many things.

Yes, it's a children's book, but it still inspires me. And that's what's important.

Naturally, today's look was inspired by one of the illustrations...

Pink dress on the right!

What I wore: pink sunglasses, cashmere butter Boden cardigan (consignment), pink paisley Lilly Pulitzer halter dress (consignment), white knee socks, and pink Keds.