A family that prays together...

My little Maria just amazes me. If you really know her, you know how entertaining she can be. It's not just the talking either. It's the facial expressions and the standout personality and just everything that is uniquely her. Well her latest behavior that has really stolen my heart is her praying. That's right. The girl, at 21 months, is quite the enthusiastic prayer.

A couple of weeks ago down at my sister's house i noticed Maria clasping her little cousin Micah's hands together. With eyes closed and much expression she led him what seemed to be a prayer. My suspicions were confirmed when i heard a loud and distinctive "Aaaaamen!" at the end.

Then a few days ago i saw in a similar pose with her stuffed Elmo doll, clasping his hands together and praying fervently. Later that same day i was doing my prenatal workout video. It ends with a head bowed butterfly stretch. I can never seem to get through a workout without Maria and Lucy close at hand, sometimes actually climbing on me or licking me, respectively. Well, when i went into this final stretch, Maria must have thought i was in deep meditation or maybe that i was distressed, so she reach out placing one hand on Lucy and one on my shoulder and prayed. I chuckled to myself, but was also moved by her sensitive spirit.

I'm surprised not so much that the girl prays, because we do that a lot, but at her charismatic style. We typically bow our heads, hold hands, and close our eyes when giving thanks before a meal. But most of time when i pray with her spontaneously through out the day it's with eyes open while doing something-- like thanking God for a beautiful day or praying for safety while driving down the road. So it surprises me that when she initiates prayer she usually closes her eyes and clasps her hands or at times even raises them-- like while singing worship songs around my parents' piano the Sunday when we were all snowed in together. And if the posture and the Maria language (or tongues of angels- we're not sure yet) don't get you, the sincerely furrowed brow and squinted eyes are sure to grab your heart and make you cling to simple days when faith and conversation with God are as natural and beautiful as a smile or song.