Can I Have a Do-Over?

I call a do-over. Today has been a bear of a day, and it's only 1:45 in the afternoon. It started out way too early, but that's only because I stayed up way too late doing random things that I should have done when normal people are awake, but since Micah's awake when normal people are awake, I have a hard time completing all the tasks that I think I ought to do. Like balance the checkbook.

And pay the mortgage.

And wash dishes.

And put away the four dozen pairs of shoes that have collected in the den.

Stuff like that.

So anyway, I crawled into bed at 1:48 a.m., Dennis rolled out of bed to go to work sometime around 5 a.m., and Micah woke me up at 7:36 a.m.

I'm not exactly sure how long she'd been awake. She was cooing and talking to herself, and since I had been dreaming about my sweet daughter talking to me, I'm pretty sure that she had been awake for quite some time.

I pried one eyelid open to look at the clock.

Then I did what all good mothers do.

I rolled over and pretended that I didn't hear her.

Don't act shocked.

You know you do it too.

But then she became more vocal, so I dragged myself out of bed and tried not to fall asleep while I fed her.

Then I counted down the minutes until it was time for her morning nap.

Because then I could go back to sleep.

In case you haven't noticed, Sleep and I are good friends. I like to hang out with Sleep for an obscene amount of time. When I don't see enough of Sleep, I make life miserable for everyone around me. Trust me, you want me to spend time with Sleep.

So when the hands on the clock inched past 9 a.m., I decided it was time for Micah to close her eyes, because that's what I wanted to do.

She had a different idea about that.

Apparently, she decided that she didn't need her customary two-hour-long morning nap.

Today, about 30 minutes was enough.

Thirty minutes.

Let that sink in.

Do you know how difficult it is to get a good nap in 30 minutes?

Do you know how impossible it is to take a nap and get something else accomplished during that time?

Eventually I gave in and rescued Micah from her cage crib.

A couple of hours later, and she finally gave it up. I hope she stays asleep for a good long time.

Doesn't she know that I have about 153 things to do today?

Now I can actually start working on getting some of them done. Like writing on here. Only 152 left.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Telling Nashville's Story

I never know what to say when people ask me where I'm from. A part of me wants to answer, "I'm a Mississippi girl," because the truth is that I've spent the vast majority of my life in the Magnolia State. But another part of me wants to answer, "Nashville," because that's where my parents live. It's where I learned to drive. Where I went to high school. Where I spent a summer working. Where I was baptized {again}. Where I accepted a call to ministry. Where I spend holidays. It's the place I go when I go home.

So you can imagine how absolutely horrifying it is to see pictures of a submerged Music City in facebook pictures and on youtube. It breaks my heart to see the city that I love so much under water.

photo courtesy of Rachael Moore

It's shocking to view pictures of the Opryland Hotel literally filled with water.

I never took Micah there.

Just a week and a half ago, we spent the weekend in Nashville visiting with the fam, and we spent a day at Opry Mills. Stacy {my sister} mentioned going to the Hotel so we could take a few pictures. But by the time we finished shopping, Micah was cranky, we were all tired, and we piled into the van and went home.

It's something I regret now.

Because the Hotel's gorgeous atrium is now a swamp.

Photo courtesy of Stephen Lee

And what fan of country music wouldn't be dismayed to see this image from the Opry house?

Photo courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

Billions of dollars worth of damage. Dozens of lives lost. Thousands of lives changed. An entire city devastated by the monumental amount of rain that deluged the city over the weekend.

Let's not forget all the people who are going to need help recovering from this disaster. Let's not ignore the devastation of a 1,000-year flood. Let's not pretend that nothing happened.

Let's remember.

And let's do something about it.

Let's tell Nashville's story.

Let's give our money.

Let's give our time.

Let's give our attention.

Let's give our love.

Let's give our prayers.

Until next time, grace and peace.

How High's the Water, Mama?

How high's the water, mama?Five feet high and risin' How high's the water, papa? Five feet high and risin'

Well, the rails are washed out north of town We gotta head for higher ground We can't come back till the water comes down, Five feet high and risin'

Well, it's five feet high and risin'

{Johnny Cash: Five Feet High and Risin'}

Unless you've been stuck under a rock for the past few days, you know that it's a little...soggy...down here in the southeast. It's not so bad here in North Mississippi, although we did get stuck in Corinth yesterday when we were trying to get home from Starkville. Water flooded the main thoroughfare, and we were hardpressed to get through. We finally made it home, but only after we backtracked out of Corinth, drove south to Rienzi and turned east again.

I don't guess I'll be going to Kroger to do my grocery shopping this week. Or anytime soon.

It's wet down here. And at home. Home is Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville.

Don't worry, my parents haven't floated away yet.

But that's only because they live at the top of a hill.

Seriously, though. Downtown Nashville is a mess. It's strange to see images of home flash across the news. It's going to be a long time before life is back to normal up there.

The buckets of rain that God poured on us over the weekend washed away most of our plans to watch Mississippi State play baseball, but we were able to get in some good eating at some of our favorite Starkville restaurants. We played with our niece and nephew and visited with the family. It was nice.

But I'm glad to be home. And I'm thankful that our house is nice, and safe and dry. No more travels for a while. Next time, people are coming to us.

That means that I should probably clean the bathrooms this week.

Just wanted to let you know that we're high and dry here in Iuka.

Until next time, grace and peace.