Cut That Meat!

No, it's not "the Nun Bun" (that's an inside Nashville reference if there ever was one) and I'm not sure it's a sign from above or anything like that, but Jude and I couldn't help but notice the shape of this piece of pork tenderloin I cooked on the grill tonight, after I sliced it. The cool (or weird) thing is I didn't slice it that way on purpose - we didn't even notice it until we were fixing our plates.

Jude, James and John Patrick. That's a lot of "J's," come to think of it.

Sweet Baby James

This evening, John Patrick's godfather, James White (Jude's brother), was in town from the Big Apple to get some face time with the big guy. Here they are on our front porch swing.

Working for the Weekend

I think I've probably mentioned this in another post, but one of the interesting things I've noticed since John Patrick was born is that I really, really look forward to the arrival of the weekend. It's so nice to have Friday night, then two full days to spend with him.

Last weekend, actually, was about as good as it gets. Jude's aunt, Peggy Vicknair, was in town from New Orleans to see a British comedian, Eddie Izzard, perform at the Ryman Friday night. A friend dropped her off at our house after the show and she spent the weekend with us, departing early Monday morning. We don't get to see enough of Peggy, so it was great to have an opportunity to spend time with her. Also, she was able to spend some quality time with John Patrick.

Friday evening, my sister, Tracy Hearn, drove up from her country estate in Franklin. We watched Judd Apatow's "Knocked Up," which she hadn't seen, yet. Jude and I had seen it several times and absolutely love it. The funniest part, though, while we were watching it Friday evening was when my sister laughed so hard, at one point, that she startled John Patrick, who had been sleeping in her lap. He immediately started crying and I couldn't stop laughing as Tracy got more and more flustered.

Saturday morning, I got up early and went to Shelby Bottoms for a trail run. It was a beautiful morning on the Cornelia Fort Trail and I thoroughly enjoyed my 8 mile run. I finished at 8:30 a.m., then met Jude at the tennis courts, where we exchanged John Patrick. Jude played tennis with her girlfriends, while John Patrick and I went to Bongo Java for coffee. At home, I put him in his stroller, while I watered our plants in the front yard (especially my giant, enormous, prodigious tomato plants).

Jude's folks were in town for the weekend, as well, and they picked up barbecue and came over at lunch time. We ate lunch together, then Peggy, Jim and "Mammy" Jane White took John Patrick for a walk while Jude took an afternoon nap. About 5:30 p.m., we drove up to Mirror on 12th Avenue and had a wonderful meal on the patio. Jim White and I took turns strolling John Patrick around the sidewalk, when he began to cry, while the others ate dinner. After sharing a refreshing carafe of Chianti, we returned home.

Sunday morning, Jude and I took John Patrick to church with us at St. Patrick's, where joined our parish in celebrating Father Eric Fowlkes' birthday and the anniversary of his ordination as a priest. He gave an absolutely splendid homily, reminding the congregation that God teaches us not to worry, not to be afraid, but to trust and have faith in Him. Father Eric's words really hit home with our congregation, since so much uncertainty surrounds his departure, next week, from St. Patrick's and the arrival of our new priest. Jude and I looked at each other during the homily and it was all we could do to avoid crying. Father Eric will be missed by all of us whose lives he has touched during his tenure at St. Patrick's.

After the service, Jude and I decided to have a look around, in preparation for John Patrick's christening next Sunday. As we walked back through the sanctuary to leave, Father Eric entered through a side door, on his way to the celebration outside. When he saw us, he stopped Jude to say hello, and I walked up to the front of the sanctuary, carrying John Patrick in his car seat. After Jude and I told him how much we are going to miss him, Father Eric knelt down and peered in at John Patrick, bundled up in his car seat. Quietly, he gave him a blessing, then made the sign of the cross on John Patrick's forehead as he slept. It was such an intimate and emotional moment for Jude and for me.

As he rose and prepared to depart, we thanked Father Eric for agreeing to perform John Patrick's christening next Sunday, during his last church service at St. Patrick's. I had been worried, afraid that we were imposing on Father Eric by asking him to christen John Patrick during what was likely to be a difficult Sunday for him. He immediately put my mind at ease, suggesting to us that he could think of no better way to celebrate his last church service at St. Patrick's . . . an end and a beginning. It has a nice symmetry to it, I suppose. We are so appreciative of Father Eric, because it just wouldn't mean as much to us if any priest other than him were to christen our son.

Belmont University

Here's a photograph I took today on the campus of Belmont University, about a half mile from our house. When we stroll to Bongo Java for coffee, like we did this afternoon, John Patrick and I walk across the campus to get there.

Belmont is an outstanding university with a fantastic music business curriculum. And, of course, Rick Byrd has built a hell of a basketball program there, as evidenced by their near upset of Duke in the first round of last season's NCAA Tournament.

Aunt Peggy, Jude and J.P.

Jude's Aunt Peggy, up from New Orleans, stayed with us this weekend. As you can see, she got to spend some quality time with John Patrick!

Aunt Tracy

Tonight, my sister, Tracy Hearn, drove up from Franklin to spend some time with John Patrick, Jude and me. Well, mostly John Patrick. Tracy's husband, Gary, and her children, Kaitlyn and Matthew, were out of town, so tonight was the perfect time for her to slip up to our house to see her nephew.

Somehow, in spite of the fact I spent the better part of my formative years tormenting and teasing Tracy mercilessly, she grew into probably the kindest, most caring human being on the face of the earth. Also, she's an amazing mother to her two children.

One of my fondest memories of Jude's pregnancy is the night, last August, when my mother and I drove over to Tracy's church, to give her the news that Jude was pregnant. We interrupted Tracy's choir practice and when she walked into the hall to talk to us, she was scared to death to see us standing there. When I pulled out the ultrasound pictures and showed them to her, however, she smiled at me and immediately started crying.

This evening, Tracy and I were sitting in the den, watching television, when Jude came down the stairs with John Patrick. Tracy's eyes lit up as Jude handed John Patrick to her, a smile frozen on her face. It was an emotional moment for me to watch my sister holding my son. We spent a nice evening together, the four of us.