Don't worry, be happy

We had a voicemail from Nanaw last Sunday:
"I've called the cell phones, the house phone and the office. I can't find you anywhere!" She didn't say so, but the sheriff and the FBI were next on the call list.

Never mind that we drive safely, live in a gated neighborhood and don't associate with criminals. We could have been kidnapped or shipwrecked or stricken with diptheria. You never know.

Did I mention that it was Sunday morning and we had just gone out for a 30-minute walk?

Headed to Passion

Moms can be prone to irrational behavior, also known as worry.

So when baby daughter left for Atlanta in a rainstorm this morning, I wasn't irrationally worried, but I was concerned. Her vehicle was safe. I love her friends. But there was the rain. And big-city driving can be scary.

Through the magic of modern technology (this is a cliche, but it really is magic), I saw Rachel and friends on Instagram by mid-morning. The caption said "headed to Passion." Passion is the name of the annual Christian conference at the Georgia dome, lest you think I really DID have something to worry about.

By mid-afternoon, I was wondering if she had made it to Atlanta, so I logged onto iCloud. There I tracked storm Rachel and her iPhone. I discovered that she had stopped for gasoline on the outskirts of Atlanta. When I checked an hour later, the green dot that was Rachel showed her safely at the Marriott in downtown Atlanta.

Later in the evening, she sent a text picture of the concert, spotlights beaming.

Amazing. In the 19 short years since she was born, we have come to this.

Rach would have a hard time fathoming that, on the day of her birth, I did not own a cell phone. I could not text the news to my friends or put her wrinkled baby face on Facebook. I could not Skype with the out-of-town relatives or send an iPhone video of her crying in the nursery. I couldn't even read an electronic book while recovering or choose an iTunes playlist to accompany the occasion. The times they have a-changed.

Now, if we could just teach Nanaw to text, use Instagram and visit the iCloud. Until then, Sheriff Hodge, you might expect a call.

The Passion Conference and Praise Fest in Atlanta

To eavesdrop on the conference and hear speakers like Beth Moore and Louie Giglio,
and singers like Matt Redmon and Chris Tomlin, click the link below:

Passion 2013