Prayer (Ann)

As I watch my beautiful 18-month-old daughter grow, I have become more aware of my own actions and behaviors as I watch her sweet, tender soul in action. She carefully wants to "touch" the insects on our walks (even the ones that look menacing!), she generously offers food to all those that she meets, and consistently uses "please" and "thank you." I pray that these behaviors are ones that she is learning from watching me.

One of the most humbling moments has been hearing her loudly and proudly join in with "AMEN!" at the end of each prayer that she hears. During the past several weeks, we have been rather busy and I found myself one day at a doctor's office waiting to be called back for an appointment. I was preoccupied and thinking about my to-do list and my daughter was sitting on my lap. She gently pulled my St. Michael medal out from under my shirt, kissed it, and held it out to me. I prayed the prayer to St. Michael in the waiting room and she joined in with a hearty "AMEN!" at the end. She gave me the most beautiful reminder to walk by faith and to embrace the good in every moment, especially in a season of waiting. I pray that her beautiful soul will be protected from all of the evils of this world and that God will give me the grace to instill in her all of the wisdom and values that He wants her to grow into.