It was unintentional. I thought I would be on the sidelines. After all, it was a kids' race. Actually, a mud run. Precisely, the Dirty Myrtle Mud Run. I had signed Page and Graham up for the kids 1-mile event.

Graham asks about a zillion questions every day. Many of those are about geography. Is it nighttime in China? Is that in a different country than we live? He wants to know about communication, too. How do birds understand one another if they aren’t saying any words?

You can’t keep a good plan down.

This past April, the people of Abiding Village took a giant leap of faith and went on a three-week fundraising whirlwind to raise $10 million. Yes, you read that right - $10 million in the span of three week’s time.

I can’t seem to get my mind off the idea of leadership. If you’ve been reading The Whole Report these past few weeks, you know that. I’ve been pondering leading and how motherhood and homeschooling and writing and business all require it. In particiular, I told you this past week about Jon Acuff’s newest book, Start. It’s his encouragement to those of us who have a dream, but yet haven’t fully launched any action to make it come true.

There’s always something on my mind. Some of the things cluttering and clinking around in there are projects. Many of those are real and tangible projects like painting the dining room or deep cleaning the den. And while I know absolutely nothing about gardening, I keep thinking I’d like to plant some produce.

The tiny squeak I heard was the bedroom door. As I look to see a little pair of eyes peeking through the opening, I hear, “I just checking on you, Mama.”

I am well-protected while I work. Graham has made sure of that. From where I sit, I can see a Star Wars light saber. I also have a Marvel Heroes coaster for my coffee cup. And let’s be honest, you never know when you need Hans Solo or The Hulk to help you out.

Beth Pensinger is infatuated with love stories. She’s watched all the movies and read all the books.

“I’ve always been obsessed with romance,” she said.

That obsession kicked into high gear with the Twilight books and films.

“Go, Mama, Go!” Graham shouted from the sidelines. Such sweet words from a sweet 4-year-old voice to mark the end of my 3.1-mile adventure run called Rugged Maniac.

The first time Francis Alford heard about a community garden project was on a Sunday morning. The words came from the pulpit.

Alford said his pastor, the Rev. Scott Johnson, mentioned the idea to the Union United Methodist Church congregation at the end of a sermon a few months ago. As Johnson pitched the project, he also asks for volunteers to put some action behind the vision.

Mama died November 17, 2003. She was 74-years-old. That’s her in the photo, the third one from the left.

I’m amazed at how little I know about the natural world. It seems everywhere I look, and everything I read, I am reaffirmed of this truth.

I began homeschooling my daughter, Page, a few weeks ago.