When my daughter was three and it was time to teach her to pray, I reached back to my own childhood only to be horrified by the prayers that were taught to me.
“Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
Oh for God’s sake! How horrible is that? “If I should die before I wake??” Honestly. That was as bad as my Aunt giving me Bluebeard to read at bedtime. So I changed the words to something much sweeter kinder and far more sleep provoking. I won’t share that version with you because it’s a special moment between my daughter and I. And prayer above all things is probably the most private of sharings that we have with each other and that which we deem our God. While I was about revamping the old prayers, I thought I’d take a stab at the old ways. I would reveal a precious secret. I would teach my daughter only prayers of Gratitude. Each line of our prayers always begin with ‘Thank you God.’
And so on this Thanksgiving, I offer up thanks to you Everyday Lovelies. I thank God for you, and for those you love, and for those they love, and for those they love…..until in one instant the everyone one on the planet is embraced in love . On this day of Thanksgiving I am thankful to be alive and well and loved. Thank you God for my family, my daughter, my friends, my animal companions, my work, my home, my health, my heart and so much more. Thank you God for these United States. Thank you for this moment. Thank you for Life Itself.
Happy Thanksgiving.
