The prayers of children

One night while putting Symeon to bed I asked if he wanted to pray or if he wanted me to.  He said Mom you pray I used to know the right words but now I don't so I don't want to pray.  I teared up a bit and explained to him that there were no "right" words when we talked to God we could say any words or no words and God would hear our hearts and he loved anything we had to say to him.  He still said he did not want to pray so I told him I would pray for him.  I came upstairs and told Shawn about it and I decided that the next night I would show Symeon that God loved any prayers. 

So the next night I explained it all to him again and told him I was going to say all kinds of prayers serious ones, silly ones, funny ones and that God would love them all.  Well that began several weeks of rap prayers, rhyming prayers, singing prayers, using the first letter of his name prayers and just about anything else I could think of and after a time he said to me one night Mom I want to pray and I said great.  He said I want to do a serious prayer and a silly prayer and I said great again.  I bowed my head and closed my eyes and he gave thanks for his Dad, Mom, and Babes and he said he misses us very much when we are not with him.  He gave thanks for his friend Aiden then he said Amen.  Next he said he wanted to do his silly prayer and next thing I know he was busting out with a song he made up about the playground and the beauty of being outside with a rap ending that said "yes, yes, yes, yes, thank you God" it was awesome.  He said Amen I opened my eyes and there was a huge smile on his face which matched my own.  I told him it was awesome and that God was smiling and laughing because that was the best prayer I am sure he had heard in a long time. 

Dear Symeon may you always pray to God with such openness, honesty, creativity, and heart.  I pray you always know he hears you and he loves you with an unending love.


Marin loves to pray every night at bedtime and she usually says God thank you for Dadddy, Mommy, brother, and me amen then she says you pray Mommy and I do.  Well last night she threw me a curve ball when she started her prayer with, "thank you for my baseball and me and when me go to baseball game with daddy, mommy, brother, and me.  I like baseball play baseball tomorrow.  Amen."  Then you pray Mommy and all I could think to say was "God thank you for Babes McGee she is a treasure and a blessing to our family and the world amen."  I opened my eyes and she was smiling that Babes smile and I told her that God loved her prayer then she hugged me and said na-night mama.

God thank you for baseball, playgrounds, night time routines, small children, innocent hearts, great smiles, big hugs, and thank you so much for motherhood.