Several years ago, my family started the tradition of having a “Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” themed meal on Thanksgiving Eve while we watch the classic special together. If you’ve not seen the show, poor Charlie Brown is inundated with last-minute, self-invited dinner guests. His plans were to eat Thanksgiving dinner at his grandmother’s house, so he has none of the traditional foods to feed them. He can’t cook anyway, except for cereal and toast, so he and his faithful beagle, Snoopy, prepare a kid-style feast for their friends.

They serve toast, popcorn, pretzels, jellybeans and ice cream sundaes.

My dinner plate with slightly burned cheese toast — just as I like it — on a fun, turkey-printed paper plate. They only had plain buttered toast in the Charlie Brown special, but I figured we could use a little protein!

I’m always busy cooking the night before Turkey Day, so having something so simple and fun for dinner is ideal to me! And the kids just love this little tradition. This was the first year that Jonah really knew what was going on. When he first saw his dinner plate, he did a double-take, as if he couldn’t believe his good fortune to climb into his chair and find a plate heaped with popcorn, pretzels AND candy! I couldn’t even get him to sit down for a while — he just stood there, happily shoveling popcorn into his mouth.

I love my family! And I love Thanksgiving!

And yes, I love my crazy husband with his totally goofy expressions!

In other Thanksgiving news, just for fun, I had the boys fill in a turkey poem prompt as part of their schoolwork this week. (Each sentence began with phrases to describe the turkey, such as, “It needs….” “It moves….” and they filled in the rest.)

What they came up with just cracked me up! Disturbing? Maybe if you aren’t accustomed to the ways of boys. And these sons of mine are utterly, totally, testosterone-charged BOYS!

Here is Zach’s:

It sees the gun in its face.

It hears the pump cock.

It feels the shiver down its spine.

It understands that it’s going to become dinner.

It moves left to right.

It needs to get out of sight!

It likes to get an adrenaline rush.

It wants a chase through the woods.

It eats one last berry, for good.

It dreams, asleep forever. It’s dead.

And Eli’s, with a rather humorous twist:

It sees the bazooka from far away.

It hears the bazooka fire.

It feels scared.

It understands its death.

It moves out of the way.

It needs pie.

It likes man.

It wants the man.

It eats the man.

It dreams good.

The end.

Look at those beautiful faces, so full of joy.

You wouldn’t know that each of them has experienced more loss and pain than most Americans ten times their ages. They’ve known not just what it’s like to miss a meal, but the painful gnaw of hunger from going days on end without food. They know what it’s like to battle illness daily, to see their siblings and parents suffer from body-ravaging diseases most of us never face. They lack access to medical care that could alleviate their suffering.

Sadly, they all know what it’s like to lose one or both of their parents to death.

And still, they smile.

Through connections orchestrated by God himself, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know these children and the one who looks out for them, Pastor Ronald Lufafa. He has a heart as big as Africa and has dedicated his life to doing all he can to help the widows and orphans in his community. I want you to get to know them, too. So please take a few minutes to visit the website we had the pleasure of helping them create: Blood of Jesus Ministries-Uganda.

We’re going to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, and then the busy Christmas season is full-force upon us. I lamented to some friends recently about how there are so many needs being presented to me, so many good causes worthy of financial support at this time of year, and yet I cannot contribute to all of them because my own resources are limited.

So part of me feels guilty about presenting to you yet another need when I know I cannot be the only one feeling a bit squeezed in this economy.

However…(there’s always a however, isn’t there?) these precious people have stolen my heart, and their need for support is so great. I wouldn’t be faithful to myself if I didn’t tell you about them and ask you to find a way to help reach out to these beautiful kids and Pastor Ronald…even if it’s not until January or later that you can do something.

Even if all you can do at this time is pray.

Because in 2012, they will still be there. These children will still have physical and spiritual needs that you and I can prayerfully help Pastor Ronald to meet. I’d love nothing more than to see several churches around this nation “adopt” this ministry and fall in love with them the way that my family has.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to organize a missions trip to go build that house they so desperately need? Or raise enough money that the 25 of them could enjoy food security, something they’ve never experienced before? Wouldn’t it be great if Pastor Ronald could mark every item off of his “The Way Forward” list and become self-sufficient in a country where that isn’t always possible?

Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

I believe in a God who has shown me His faithfulness in doing “exceedingly abundantly above” all that I’ve asked or even dreamed of. But one incredible thing about that verse lies right in its middle: “According to the power that works in us…”

It’s His power, but it works through us. It’s His will that his children’s needs are met. But we are the hands and feet that do the work; through Him, we make it happen.

Isn’t our God big enough to meet all of this ministry’s needs, and more?

I say He is.

And now that you know, what say you?

The lighting was dim and the air filled with the fragrance of carnations and roses last Friday night. The tiny baby lay there quietly, with perfectly round cheeks and a little button nose, like on all newborn faces. A knit cap covered his hair, a monogrammed blanket was tucked beneath his chin, and as I heard others remarking, that precious baby looked just like a porcelain doll displayed in a box.

Except babies aren’t supposed to be still, or quiet or placed inside boxes. It was the most terrible, beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, this wake for a longed-for, stillborn first son.

And I thought again what I’ve thought so often: no parent should ever have to bury their child.

Read the rest of this entry »

This column originally ran in The Covington News in 2006.

I wouldn’t have believed it if someone predicted I’d give birth to two picky eaters. My older sons actually refuse to eat fresh fruit. I struggle to understand this behavior.

Both of them opened up like baby birds for pureed peaches, plums, even prunes when they were infants. Zachary loved Gerber bananas, but the first time I gave him the real fruit, he gagged on the texture and has hated them ever since. Eli consumed his “nonnies” like a proper monkey until he got old enough for Zach to influence his choices. Sadly, it’s been a year since he’s eaten a banana.

I look at these darling, intelligent children and wonder how they can refuse fruit? What is there not to like about the honey-sweetness of a crisp red grape, or the heady perfume of fresh golden pineapple? Other kids eat this stuff. I know, because I’ve seen them. Heck, I was one of them.

I don’t remember being allowed to dislike much when I was a child. Perhaps that’s why I’ve always eaten just about anything. I can only recall three things I refused to eat back then—fried green tomatoes, rutabagas, and liver.

Read the rest of this entry »

I love a deal. I especially love things that are FREE!

I have a relative who travels a lot and often brings me shampoos and soaps from the hotels at which she stays. She is very persnickety about what she chooses — no cheap-o Dial soap here. She’s graced me with lots of lovely little bottles from Bath and Body Works and Crabtree and Evelyn. One of my favorite scents is this:

Crabtree and Evelyn’s Citron, Honey and Coriander. Yum, yum and YUM! I have the shampoo, conditioner and tiny bar soap. I use them on those nights when I want a little extra “somethin’-somethin’” in the shower, a break from my usual Dove products. But, sadly, the little bottles are only good for two showers at the most. And I want to enjoy that fragrance longer.

But check it out: on the C&E website, a bottle of hand soap in this fragrance is $22.00 before shipping!

Yeah, I love it, but I don’t love it enough to pay THAT much for one lil’ ol’ bottle of hand soap.

SO, brilliant domestic goddess that I am, I had an idea: how about refilling a foam hand soap dispenser with a trial-size shampoo bottle and fill the rest of it up with water?

It works, and how well it does! It leaves my hands so soft, and with that beautiful, lingering fragrance.

And it’s free. Did I mention the free part?

Remember this when you get down to that last bit of shampoo in the bottle. Just add about 7 ounces of water to each ounce of shampoo and voila — instant foam hand soap for pennies!

You’re welcome.