Friday, December 27, 2013

Dearest God,

The desires of young hearts inspires and stirs the human soul.  As a grandmother it is especially meaningful.

I invited my seven youngest grandchildren for an overnight stay on Christmas night.  With eight sleeping bags lined up in the basement the kids ages six to thirteen reveled in their time together.  So did I with what little energy I had left after orchestrating a day with eighteen in our home for a big dinner, supper, and gifts under the tree.

It was this morning in the dining room when all were seated around the table that we took hands and then tried to decide who would offer the meal prayer.  All the kids called out six-year-old Rylan's name and then Grace, our ten-year-old said, "Grandma, can we sing Silent Night too?"  "Of course!  Good idea, Grace." Well, we bowed our heads and Rylan thanked you for the special time with his cousins and grandparents, for the food, and the overnight stay.  His "amen" was the cue for us to sing and so we did, all of us.

I never thought of Silent Night, Holy Night as a morning meal prayer but it was perfect.  It was perfect because that song is a prayer, an affirmation of faith, and a moving testimony of a living presence in the world today.  To hear my grandchildren sing the song at the table after singing it as part of our devotion before we opened our gifts Christmas afternoon, was a delightful joy that you secretly tucked away as a treasure in my heart, a memory to be recovered at any time.

Majestic God,
whose power
can stir
the hardest heart,
thank you
for the
tender sound
of my
grandchildren's voices
singing songs
of faith.
Thank you
for the blessing
they are
to me,
to our family,
to their teachers
and friends,
and even
to strangers
when they
reach out
in loving ways.
Thank you
for prayer
that reminds us
to whom
we need
to give thanks.

Love always, Andrea