Luann Tennant Coyne

Category: Children

A Little Bit of Magic

A little bit of magic goes a long way to relieve the long hours and hard work of being a working parent.
Once in a while, when my girls were young, I would stop the car at a park on the way to the sitter’s house in the morning, and we would spend twenty minutes on the slides and swings. We would have the park to ourselves, first thing on a weekday morning. And I got a little extra play time with my girls… The best present in the world for me.

Hope and a Barefoot Farm Girl

How did my mother, who grew up so poor, develop such a strong sense of her own self-worth, such a sturdy self-reliance, and such a strong hope and belief that life had wondrous experiences for her?

Waiting . . .

Waiting has its gifts. Waiting has taught me patience. Humility. Waiting has knocked the top layer off my ever-present and arrogant assumption that I know what’s best for myself and for everyone else in the world. Best of all, waiting has brought me closer to an always loving, always compassionate God.

Seeing at Christmas

This year, I pray, may I focus on the goodness and kindness I see every day in my life, no matter how small.

Grandma Time

What does it feel like to be 70? What it feels like to be 70 is to be living in a kaleidoscope, where past memories and present experiences and glimpses into the future all come at once.

Staring at the Angels

Little Lucas Alexander, born July 19th, is our latest grandchild, and our latest joy. Watching him, I see all over again how very powerless newborns are. He cannot move his arms and legs consciously. He cannot lift his head, although every day he gets a little closer to that goal. He cannot even turn over.… Continue reading Staring at the Angels

Try and try and you will get it, Grandma!

Six-year-old Hanah is back with her family now and me, I want to be more like her. I want to see the wonder in ordinary things. I want to realize how lucky I am, to have all the good things that I’ve never noticed before.

The Ocean Springs Mardi Gras Parade

The parade was to come right by our rented cottage, so my husband Frank and I attended… and stepped into another world. Being near the end of the parade route, we spent an hour waiting, walking up and down the street, being baptized by the last of the rain, enjoying the pre-parade festivities.  Families and… Continue reading The Ocean Springs Mardi Gras Parade

God’s Refrigerator

One of the most difficult spiritual lessons I’ve ever had to learn is that God loves me unconditionally, no matter what I do or don’t do. It is so much easier for me to think that I can at least partially earn God’s love and approval through my good works.  After all, my thinking goes,… Continue reading God’s Refrigerator

“Changing Direction”: The Art of Positive Distraction 

When I was sick with Covid, doing pretty much nothing but aching, resting, and sleeping more than I’ve slept in years, I got a call out of the blue from a young mother I had met months before. She needed to talk. She told me that the call helped her, but I know it really… Continue reading “Changing Direction”: The Art of Positive Distraction