The Combs Krewe

8 years ago at around this time Jackie was graduating from seminary after 5 years of being in New Orleans. We were excited and full of hope. It felt like after years of preparation our lives were now going to REALLY begin!  The seminary had hosted a sort of ministry fair for students to meet with representatives from across the United States. Jackie talked to me about which state representatives he’d like to talk with as we planned our perfect life out in our heads (HA!). He mentioned Alaska which I quickly vetoed; we thought it would be lovely to live near the mountains somewhere out west—maybe Colorado? Montana? However, I went back and told him to talk to the Alaska guy if he wanted to because I didn’t think it was right that I should tell him no. I don’t remember all the states he inquired about that day. I remember him bringing home a memo pad that said West Virginia on it, and I remember him talking ALL ABOUT ALASKA.  Now when God speaks to me I unfortunately do not have...

Tonight I sat rocking Truett and,  just to make conversation, I asked him about Sunday School. “Did you play with Bryson? Is he your friend?” “Yeah,” he said.  “Did Mrs. Elaine read you a story? What was it about?”  “Um, God’s Special Book. God made the world!” He then said God made houses, and I said, “No, people made houses.” Then we had a discussion about things God made vs. things people made. His mind amazes me! Did God make couches? Did God make tractors?  Then he started to get the idea of things. Did God make broccoli?  He drifted off to sleep in my lap thinking of the things of God, and I’m just so, so thankful to have to privilege  to be his mama. ❤️

I really try not to be too very in-your-face about healthy eating, but it is such a part of who I am and what I believe in, that inevitably it comes out in conversations and is evident in things I share on social media. Although Jackie is generally a good sport and has tried a lot of foods he otherwise would not have, my healthy eating habits are generally met with a good bit of teasing from most members of my family. I, however, am simply not dabbler . If I do anything, I am ALL IN. And food is an area that I have dove head first into.  There is a quote that I am finding a new depth of truth in lately. Maybe you've heard it. Ann Wigmore said, "The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison." You would be absolutely AMAZED to learn the power of food over your life. Do you know someone with cancer? I'd be willing to bet we all do. Statistics show that if cancer or diabetes or some other life-altering...

Personal thoughts of special needs... I suppose this topic has come to my mind because of all the abortion talk lately. Many times abortion is recommended because it is known/believed that a person has conditions which we find undesirable. The terms for this general condition have changed over the years, and, for the most part, society uses PC terms now but the main gist is that the child won’t be “normal.” What does that really mean, and why do we find that to be so terrible that we would, in some cases, choose to end that life rather than deal with the heartbreak, hardship, or mere inconvenience of helping another person to live? Because that’s often what it means: not that we believe a child hasn’t the capacity for life but that we caregivers haven’t the capacity for giving the necessary care.  Back to the question of so-called normalcy. We so often pity anyone who is unable to live a “normal” life, anyone who can’t for any reason enjoy THE highest standard of living i...

I decided to use this week to start acclimating myself and the kids to an earlier wake up time which will be necessary for school time. Waking up wasn't so hard yesterday because I had somewhere to be by 9:30 but today is my free day--I have NOTHING that needs doing today! I stuck to it though and crawled out of bed when my alarm told me to then I WOKE UP SLEEPING CHILDREN. Crazy, huh? Little did I know, it was the start of a wonderful day.  The kids decided they wanted to color while I fixed breakfast (it was just cereal with a side of cantaloupe so don't be impressed or anything lol). Piper happily shared pages from her coloring book with the boys and then asked, "will you please pass me a crayon?" each time she needed one from Jathan at the other end of the table. She has picked up on the fact that her mama heavily praises politeness.  After breakfast I decided to get outside since it's such a beautiful day. It was in the 60s when we first stepped out! The kids...

A friend shared an Elle article about one of Colbie Caillat's new songs, Try. The article talked about how she felt pressure to change her outward appearance. Hair extensions, fake eye lashes, fake nails, photoshopping. It was getting to her. So she was encouraged to put her feelings to music and what happened what a great video.  You can read the article and watch the video here:  http://www.elle.com/_mobile/news/beauty-makeup/colbie-caillat-try-video-makeup-transformation?src=spr_FBPAGE&spr_id=1448_70498785&linkId=8787330 By the time I got to the end of the video I thought, "Wow, I don't even think we know what a beautiful woman looks like anymore." We know what a great dye job looks like. We recognize flawless makeup and polished manicures. But what if we were all stripped of that? Would we see beauty?  I happen to really like makeup and hair (big hair to be exact). I like pretty clothes and painting my nails. I don't think there's anything innately...

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about the Supreme Court ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby today. This ruling was a huge deal in that it supported both religious liberty and personal freedom. While I am very happy with the outcome, I have been bothered with many of the details of Hobby Lobby's stance on contraceptives. See, the whole case is about how Hobby Lobby refused to comply with government mandates on providing certain drugs through insurance. Hobby Lobby does not want to provide "emergency contraceptives" because they believe them to be abortifacients. It is their position that life begins at conception therefore they do not support the use of drugs which could abort a fertilized egg (after conception but before implantation--which is when it's generally agreed upon that pregnancy begins). Here's a screenshot of an article I read where their representatives express this viewpoint:  Specifically they refuse to pay for the c...