In Country

Ashley has been in Mexico for the past few days on a mission trip. We've been awaiting word of how it went.

Around 2:30 this afternoon, my wife received a text message from Ashley that read as follows:

"I am once again a US citizen. I am currently chowing down on DQ."

I guess she's OK... my little 14 year-old non-communicative missionary.

Legends

It's not very often you get to see a gathering of legends in one place. This is one of those times. The recording was made in the Netherlands a few years ago. The background band is full of some pretty famous faces as well, but up front you have none other than Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino. The whole band improvises their way through a couple of songs. Enjoy.

A Daughter in High School

This is one of those times where you feel a little bit old. Do any of you out there remember the song I wrote in 1993 called "Rockin' Song?" Sherri was expecting a child, our first. I was co-producing the new Acappella Lullabies album and I wanted to write a song about my little girl that was on the way. The song turned out to be a favorite of many people and Ashley turned out to be my favorite daughter. :)

Anyway, she was born the week of the big ice storm in Tennessee, the 2nd week of February, 1994. We had to actually schedule the delivery so I could be home... February 14. The morning of the 12th we wake up and hear shotgun blasts outside. At least, we thought it was guns.

Turns out, the ice was so thick it was breaking off big limbs from the trees. I'm talking the big ones... the limbs that could be trees themselves. By 8:00 AM the power was gone. Gone over most of Tennessee. We're laying in bed wondering how much damage there is, how we're going to get around, how to deliver a baby in 48 hours, and how to cook with an electric stove and no power.

Between convenience stores with gas stoves (the Tackle Box), friends with pot-bellied stoves (Larry Sparks) and generators at the hospital, Ashley was born into an ice storm on Feb. 14, 1994.

Fourteen years later, my little Rockin' Song girl is going to High School and wearing formals. I'm very proud of her, but I miss the days when we had our own language and could talk for hours without saying one intelligible word. Life goes on.

Lord please bless my daughter so that she may grow strong in Your word.