When our daughter was three years old, she would take my chin in her little dimpled hand and turn my face toward hers before she made a request. She wanted to ensure she had my undivided attention when she asked for cookies or described something she saw outside. Do you have that same desire in conversation? How do you feel when you’re talking, and the other person is obviously distracted? I’m sure you’ll agree that focusing on the speaker enhances comprehension. What about listening to God? We don’t have to get His attention, but does He have ours—our undivided attention?…
Tag: prayer
Seeking and Finding
It’s okay for a grandmother to pray for her granddaughter to catch a butterfly, right? I hope so, because I did. Our budding scientist received a butterfly net as a birthday gift and she was trying hard to catch one of the insects while spending the afternoon with me. Efforts at her house had failed. She wanted so desperately to capture one and then release it. That’s why I prayed. I wanted her to be delighted by the fragile and beautiful creation she longed to study. This precious girl first swooped the net in the air as she chased the…
The Gift of US Citizenship
Celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day– Help Others Obtain Citizenship Usually my post at the beginning of the month centers on meaningful gifts. This month I’m writing about the gift of prayer and gratitude we can offer for our country as we celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on September 17th. Should we let the day pass by unnoticed or should we celebrate these gifts? I say CELEBRATE! Here are some suggestions: Take time to thank God for citizenship in a less than perfect but wonderful country. We all realize our nation has problems to solve. However, let’s focus…
Song Sparrow Prayer Lessons
As distant lightning sliced the sky one pre-dawn morning, my friend Jan heard sparrows singing. When sheets of rain blew across the yard, she could still detect the birds’ melody until the rumble of thunder crept closer and muffled their notes. Inspired by her observations and knowledge that song sparrows sometimes sing in a rainstorm, Jan designed and created the beautiful coaster pictured below and painted an entire set. She explained, “I painted these sparrows as early morning silhouettes because of the birds I heard that rainy day. They reminded me of how the four of us encourage each…
Back-to-School Teacher Support
From the moment our son played on the playground and noticed the bright yellow doors, he was ready to start school. Chocolate brown eyes danced with excitement as he entered Mrs. Tippett’s kindergarten class. Memories of a second-grade homework assignment make me smile. Not understanding that his teacher meant essay, he wrote a summary of his summer activities and titled the paper “My S. A.” (I didn’t say a word knowing it would give his teacher a smile.) Our daughter, never one for the ordinary, chose either sparkly silver pencils or those with a Strawberry Shortcake motif for her school…