Thoughts on kids & prayer

I love the movies, "Anne of Green Gables." Early in the series Marilla, Anne's adoptive mother, is teaching her how to pray. Anne is instructed to kneel next to her bed, fold her hands, bow her head and close her eyes. She then proceeds to "pray" like she is writing a letter to her grandpa and ends her prayer with, "sincerely yours, Anne  - with an 'e'."

When Marilla expresses her concern about Anne's prayer style, Anne quickly replies, "I don't like it either. Why do I have to bow my head and kneel when I pray? I imagine praying out in the big open field under the blue sky, imagining it was a great cathedral built to honor God. I would life my face and my hands and sing."As Anne speaks she begins to twirl around her arms lifted up.

Marilla quickly stops Anne with a stern, "Stop that nonsense and get into bed."

I love kids' innocence and spontaneity especially as they respond to God.
How sad that as adults we often squelch their expressions of love because we don't have time for that "nonsense."

Parenting is a sacred journey. We will not be perfect parents, but let us be aware and present to the work God is doing in our kids' souls. Parenting is a time when we can re-enter the innocence of childhood through our kids, if we take the time to be silly with them.

Allison Min-Joy Tate aka Allie,

She is full of life
   Allie doesn’t walk --- she does cartwheels and dances
   Allie doesn’t just talk --- she write songs and sings to you
   Allie doesn’t read her books --- she sings the words and makes up a song
   Allie’s smile is priceless!

We love to hear Allie laugh and giggle.
She has a great imagination and it is fun to listen to her when she plays.

Allie is a good artist. She likes to draw and make cards to send to people.
Allie is a competitive opponent. She likes to play Scrabble, Nerts, and Marbles. She doesn’t like to loss.

Allie and her brother Jeff like to play basketball with their dad.

Allie is very loving and caring. She asks lots of questions and wants to know why things are the way that they are.

The Wonder of the Monarch Butterfly

This is the fourth year we have raised monarch butterflies. The first year we got the caterpillars from the Dalhem Center, but since then we have just gone out to our pond and found them on milkweed.

We have raised and successfully released 5 or 6 butterflies, but we have also lost them at all different stages. This year one of the caterpillars went into the “J” position but never formed its cocoon and died; one formed the cocoon but it dried out and died; one emerged from the cocoon but its wing was damaged and died.

This year Allie let the butterfly climb on her. I wanted to take photos, so I asked Allie to carry the newly emerged butterfly to the plant. She hates bugs so I was very surprised she agreed to “help” me this way. I've learned that by asking kids to help me, I can get them to do try something that may be uncomfortable. Allie was surprised at how the butterfly clung to her finger, she said that it even tickled.

Being spiritual is the ability to be constantly amazed. I can’t think of anything more amazing than observing the total transformation of a little worm like-creature into a beautiful, graceful butterfly.

A prayer for you

Praying the Spirit will flow through you today –
                  as you speak, teach, lead -
         may others experience our Father’s
                  grace and love,
                  hope and peace
                                    as they encounter you.

Following your morning ministry
                  I pray you will rest in the arms of our Father
                  and receive a new all you have graciously given to others. Amen.