"Man, she had that glow": That lyric from George Strait’s "I Saw God Today" applies these days to Jo Dee Messina, who’s expecting her first baby to arrive in early 2009.

Jo Dee’s pregnancy reflects an enthusiasm for life, thanks in part to her marriage to Chris Deffenbaugh, and she’s made an effort to share her good fortune during the holidays. On Thanksgiving Day, she ran the five-mile Boulevard Bolt, which raises money for the homeless. And on Christmas Eve, she sang in Nashville’s Riverfront Park for a homeless gathering in which visitors received a meal and a service from the Wildhorse Saloon and the Brentwood United Methodist Church.

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