Last month I complained about my son’s sleep issues. I can’t complain anymore. He’s happily floating on his metaphorical dream cloud as I type this. He no longer cries when it’s time for us to leave the room (thanks Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child!). Instead, in the middle of Chris’ prayer for him tonight, he said, “Bye, Mommy.”
I said, “Do you just want Daddy to sing you a song tonight?”
“Yep,” he said. Well, okay then.
Chris was out of the room two minutes later. Turns out that once the praying was done, August wanted him to leave as well. And not a word from that room since.
This new sleeping life has made for very sweet going-to-bed moments. Usually before we pray for August, we ask him if there’s anyone he wants to pray for. In the past, maybe one or two grandparents or his friend at the park would come to mind. Since our trip to Texas, his prayer list has grown exponentially. He usually says a couple of people he wants to pray for when we ask. Tonight it was Mommy, Daddy, and Ezra (the cat). But since his recent bedtime sweetness, he adds to the prayer outloud. This is what he prayed tonight:
Chris: We pray for Mommy and Daddy and Ezra…
August: And my space ship. And Karsen, and Ellie, and Luke. And my couch. And Owen, and Blythe, and Brooks, and Sunny. And airplanes. And Aimee, and JoJo, and Pops, and Basia, and Owen, and Jason, and Grama Sue. And the couch, and Grampa, and ChaCha, and Owen.
First of all, he doesn’t have a spaceship. But, I’m so happy he’s thankful for it. Second, I love that kind of praying. Those names were not said quickly. Each one took some thinking on his part. He came to them deliberately, with zero pressure. No fear. Just letting the people (and things) he loves come to his mind (even if Owen was prayed for three times) and letting his heart feel big for them.
So, for this Thankful Tuesday, my prayer is for a fullness of heart that can’t help but spill over with gratefulness. I’m praying I’ll be thankful for the spaceship I don’t even have, because, hey, somebody has a spaceship. And that’s awesome.
What’s your heart full for?
1 Comment
July 29, 2010 at 10:13 am
Oh August… too cute! I love listening to my kids’ funny little prayers.
I think Dexter will end up being Anglican or something - he has his own liturgy that he goes through each night without fail. He adds a few things here or there based on what we did that day and who he saw, but these words are always the same: “Thank you for potties underpants and diapers and garbage cans and books and TVs and CDs and bunk beds and beds, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.” Sometimes he splits them up, but he always fits them all in somewhere and always ends with “bunk beds and beds, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.” I love it.