Who has ears to hear?
My daughter-in-law instructed her oldest two kids to get in the car while she finished packing the vehicle for another of our day long photo shoots. Carey's doing a fabulous job with the photography for my new cookbook, Hungry is a Mighty Fine Sauce, but more on that soon, we have a story at hand. Little Weston and Carey were still inside when six-year-old Emerson stormed
Are You Self-Soothing?
My kids had them. My grandkids have them. I'm talking about their "lovies". The textbook sounded definition of a lovie would be any object, often a stuffed animal or blanket, that a wee one forms an emotional attachment to in order to feel safe and comfort themselves. This practice is known as self-soothing. Horses, giraffes, doggies, and rabbits, the lovies of my kids and now my
Jesus Doesn’t Do Tagbacks
Don't blink or Summer 2015 will be over, in the books. Done. That startles me. I made all sorts of promises to myself when the weather started warming up here in northeast Louisiana. This summer I would work less and spend more time on the lake or in the pool, less time being a grownup and more time playing like a kid. And here we are, well
On Secret Service, Going to Heaven, and Calling Ahead
My cell phone buzzed late the other night with an attention getting text message from my daughter-in-law Carey, who I knew to be vacationing with my son and grandchildren in the fine state of Texas. "Well, Keggie," the text began, "we had a little run in with the Secret Service today, but we're okay." Excuse me?! I quickly sent Carey a number of question marks along with
I Think, You Think, We all Think
Hundreds of years ago, a French philosopher named Rene Descartes shut himself up in a room to do some thinking. He did a lot of thinking, too. In fact, good old Rene did so much thinking that even today people are still thinking about one of the things he thought. Rene's the fellow who said: "I think, therefore I am." I don't know how Rene got
Living Exposed to the Light
Glow in the dark silly putty for a dollar? Okie dokie! I tossed five packages of putty in my cart and continued towards the checkout. The silly putty was an impulse buy during one of my half dozen trips to the grocery store last week. The multiple shopping sprees were a byproduct of having a week-long celebration with family and friends. But, back to the silly
The Curious Work of Processing Words
When I really need to process something, I find I must sit down and work it out through my fingers. Over and over again God has used my own words to speak to me, my own words to teach me what He is asking of me. I've heard friends express similar sentiments. Some are published authors and others journal for their private enjoyment, but they've all
Are You Sitting Down?
One day, years before children were routinely buckled into car seats, Savannah Grace and her mother were traveling down a deserted country road. Savannah couldn't have been more than three at the time and while she knew she wasn't allowed to stand up in the seat, she found it challenging to abide by the rule. "Savannah Grace, sit down." Her mother said it gently the first
Open Wide! Here Comes the Airplane!
Remember that? It's from a meal time game most of us have played with a wee one at one point or another. The spoon is the circling airplane and the child's mouth is the hanger. The object? To get the youngster in question to allow another bite of whatever food you're offering into his or her mouth. Should you ever find yourself feeding my youngest grandchild,
The End from the Beginning
Years ago my best friend and I made a commitment to give the eulogy at each other's funeral. We felt confident that we both knew precisely the goodbye service the other one would want: a respectful but jubilant get-together with upbeat music, as much laughter as possible, and a heartfelt invitation for everyone present to trust the Jesus we live for and adore. The two