
God Centered
Family Focused




Walking in Tall Weeds
“All? It’s just my aunt and uncle coming, not the entire Baldwin calvary.” Dad snapped his buckle into place. His eyes connected with McKinley’s as he adjusted his rearview mirror, but in a blink, his attention returned to the road that led from the airport lot. “I don’t know why y’all persist in calling it ‘prison’ every time Aunt Juju and Uncle Lawrence come to town.”
“Because Julia persists in tellin’ me how I should think and feel. I can’t be comfortable…around my own kitchen table, no less.” Mama’s soft voice bounced off the glass.
“Not that you’re ever comfortable in the kitchen,” Dad murmured, his voice barely discernible.
ABOUT Me


Picture Perfect
I don't remember this photo. I believe my daddy took it one Easter Sunday morning nearly my lifetime ago. My sisters seem to be working hard to make sure I sat still long enough for him to capture this moment. They’re not the only ones who worked hard. My folks made...

Soul Satisfaction
Our Oscar is one of the most particular dogs I know, especially when it comes to food. He had to try several dog food brands ranging from ridiculous to reasonable before he finally “agreed” to one. My parents are raising his brother, Michael. He hasn’t met a treat he...

Fertile Ground
Right before Thanksgiving, Mama told me she had loved my grandmother well. Not merely a lot, but well. “I cried at her funeral, but I didn’t break down,” she said. “I knew I had done everything I could for her while she was alive.” Now, I know how much she misses my...

There’s God in Them Thar Hills!
If you look closely—as in turn the photo upside down and squint for ten minutes—you might detect what it took us eighteen laps to spot: a hill. And of course, the moment we laid eyes on it on our fifth day of walking, we felt it. Immediately. Our thighs started to...