Thirty-Seventh Passage

Let me give you a glimpse into our nightly family prayers. They can be rather stressful for us parents, but the other night, although the situation was the same as it often is, I saw it from a different perspective, and it took everything I had to keep from breaking out into disruptive laughing.

We have a tradition in our family. Before the prayer, we go around to everyone and let each person give a prayer request. The person praying then includes all the prayer requests in the prayer.

So there we were, kneeling down in a circle going around collecting prayer requests. It was Owen's turn to pray, and he, as usual, was a little grumpy about it.

The prayer went something like this:

David: How do you start the prayer?
Owen: I don't know.
David: Heavenly Father...
Owen: Heavenly poopy.
David: Owen, do it right.
Owen: Heavenly Father.
David: Okay, now, what do want to pray for?
Owen: Help us to be stupid.
Morgan: You have to say what you're thankful for!
David: Morgan, I'll take care of it. Owen. What are some things you're thankful for?
Owen: Thankful that we didn't get stuck in the mud.
David: Are you thankful for your family?
Owen: *scowl*
David: Say that you're thankful for your family.
Owen: Thankful for family.
David: What are some things we need help with?
Morgan: You have to pray for what we wanted help with.
David: Morgan, that's not your job.
Owen: *whines*
David: Swats Lydia's foot that she inched to Owen until she's poking him with her toe.
David: Owen, pray that William will be obedient.
Owen: Help William to be obeemph.
David: Owen, lift your head up.
Owen: Uuhhh!
Morgan: We can't hear you!
David: Morgan!
The rest of the prayer requests are addressed.
David: Is there anything else you want to pray about?
Owen: Help Nana and Papa to not get stuck in the mud.
David: Okay, how do you end  the prayer.
Owen: *silence*
David: In the name...
Owen: I can do this by myself!
pause
David: Okay...
Owen: Jesus Christ, Amen.