Motherhood for Dummies.....The Prayer

I have often stated before that as parents...it is a learn as you go process. There are days that you breeze through, but for everyone of those days, there are ten more that you simply survive. Children are the greatest gift we can ever receive, but they are also a whole lot of work. From the moment we conceive them....until the day we die.....they are work. They are are not just an eighteen years sign-on. They are a lifetime sign-on as once they are ours, we never stop wondering, worrying and for many of us.....praying for the best for them. Never is there a night that goes by that before my head hits pillow....God doesn't hear from me.

All of this really got me to thinking. Back many, many, many, many.....well you get were I am going with this.....years ago, I had a college writing teacher who assigned us to write a prayer. Back then God and prayer were not dirty words even in college, but the assignment I remember was daunting as I was not very good at the whole prayer thing. I think it was probably too much thinking outside the box for me and probably also...not enough life experience to appreciate the power that prayer held. I have no idea where that prayer is, what it even said or what kind of a grade I got on it, but this morning the assignment came back to me. It occurred to me that there needs to be a parenting prayer. Okay..I am sure there are already lots of them out there, but I decided to try my hand at a Lisaland Motherhood version. So here is my assignment....many years over due, but with a whole lot more experience and life to pull from.

Motherhood for Dummies Prayer

Here I lay me down to sleep
I pray my children's souls that You will keep
Please give me strength
for sleepless nights
And give me courage
through teen year fights
Please help me Lord
to ease their pain
And in times of struggle
to not complain.
Please help me remember
my own young days
And know the difference
between truly bad and..... just a phase.
Help me to guide them
and teach them to pray
Let them know faith
and from You never stray
Please give me the strength
to let them stumble and fall
and give me the wisdom
to help them learn from it all
So dear Lord,
patient and kind
Please help me through motherhood
cause I'm flying blind!
Amen

Okay...so it wasn't Eliot or Plath, but I think the Man Upstairs might listen. After all it is from the heart and full of life experience. Here is praying that your Friday is struggle free and full of joy. Happy Friday everyone!!!!