May 9 – “Chubbs”

The Mother's Day crowd at church today was pretty slim.  And everybody there was someone who had been there at least once or twice before.  Felt like the family had just gathered for the morning.  Our worship pastor went to see his Mom in Waco, so our youth pastor put together s collection of music videos with the words to the songs built in.  The sermon was on how to honor your mother.  My favorite part was when I was talking about how your Mom was always hugging you and changing diapers and stuff.  Then I walked over to my son Nathan, licked my thumb and pretended to wipe dirt from his face.  Has your Mom ever done that?  Mine sure did.   This afternoon all our Galveston brood came over for crockpot roast and a bunch of rice.  I guess there was a vegetable or two somewhere around, probably corn and green beans.  That's our family staple that everyone will eat.  Nathan and April brought all their kids over.  Cailyn was in rare form, and Scooter spent the morning running the backyard with Fritz.  But the star of the show was their new little pug puppy.  His name is Chubbs.  Chubbs Vaughan.  That's what it says on the little tag he has on his collar.  And it fits.  He's still pretty little, so he did a lot of sleeping, but Cailyn thinks the world of him.  She sneak over to him, sit down next to him, and bend at the waist like a gymnast to give him a hug.  Jachin carried him around off and on.  Micah had the most fun when they had the little guy trapped up on the couch.  He wasn't about to jump down, so he played lick tag with them until it was time for his next nap.  Play and rest.  Play and rest.  What a life.   We did get in a few rounds of hitting the baseball out in the front yard.  Incredibly pregnant Christina, Chris and Mom all sat on the porch while the guys took turns hitting monster home runs and running the oddly-shaped basepaths.  To the concrete paver stone at about the middle of the garden – first base.  The to the neighbor's palm tree – second base.  To the new sycamore sapling – third base.  And back to the rectangle of new grass sod – home run.  It helped that we were inspired by the Astros come from behind victory in the bottom of the eleventh inning.  Watch out.  They are on the move.  Double digit victories.   Romans 8:26-27 says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."   Father, thank you for my wife and mother and the offspring you granted because of them.  Amen.