#164 Prayer

As I’m sure most parents do, we have a bedtime ritual for putting the boys to bed. After they have brushed their teeth and gone to the bathroom and gotten into pajamas we gather in their room. Each boy gets a bedtime story, then hugs and kisses and tickles before they climb into bed. Once in bed we sing them a short song that my mother used to sing to me and then we start a cd for them to listen to as they fall asleep. Our boys share a room so all of this takes place together. Last night we had a slight change to our routine.




After we sang to them but before we put the cd on, my oldest asked if he could take a minute to pray to Uncle Eric. He told us that he started crying about Eric at school and one of his friends (remember, they are 6!) told him to pray to Uncle Eric to make him feel better. So last night he closed his eyes, put his hands together and prayed. He told Uncle Eric that he loved him and missed him and hoped that he would always watch over us. He told him that he really loved playing light sabers with him. Then my youngest said he loved Uncle Eric too. Did I cry? Yes, but I managed to hold it in until I left the room.



I was both touched and saddened and dismayed all at the same time. I love that my sons remember Uncle Eric and have the comfort that he is watching over them. I hate that my son who is yet to be born won’t have those experiences. I also was upset that my son was crying at school and I didn’t know. I probably would never have known had he not decided to pray last night and tell me about it. Why aren’t you calling me with this information teacher who thinks my sweet boy is a discipline problem????



I am also grateful to the little girl who had the presence of mind to suggest a solution that made my son feel better and gave him something he can continue to do to make himself feel better. If only that worked for me.