And then she said, “Mr. Jim, are you here? Did you get lost in the crowd, child? Raise your hand so we can find you!”

I raised my hand and it was like the Red Sea parting as the crowd cleared a path for me to the stage.

“Come on up here and stand by me, Mr. Jim. I want to introduce you to my family!”

Not one for seeking attention, I was a bit mortified, but I mustered courage and made my way to the stage and to Mama, Maggie and Layla’s side.

Making eye contact with Maggie helped, and with Layla stealing the show with extreme cuteness all I had to do was just stand there and wait for what was coming next.

Mama went on by saying, “Okay, now that we’re all up here together and I know you’re all hungry, I’d like to say grace. But this year instead of saying a prayer, in Layla’s honor I’d like for us all to sing ‘Amazing Grace.’”

And with that, and in perfect pitch and tone, Mama started singing “Amazing Grace.”

Three-hundred voices strong joined in and, for lack of better words, I felt totally enveloped with unconditional love.