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A Mother's Prayer

Dear God,

I know that I don't pray very often any more.  It seems that, when I start to pray, I get little interruptions.  Then, when I do pray, it's because of emergencies caused by these little interruptions.  However, now that my house is quiet, I have one thing to ask you...

Please let my children be sleeping and not on a quiet adventure through my cabinets, drawers, or the toilets.  Please let me find their darling little faces covered in tranquility as they dream of ways to grow big, strong, and healthy without thoughts of how to terrorize their sibling and finally climb to the top of the refrigerator in search of my secret stash of cookies and candy that I so desperately need at the end of each day. 

God, please also help my secret stash always stay full.

Thank you for my children.  But, more importantly, help me to remember that I am thankful for my children.  They truly are some of my greatest blessings.  I know this...I just don't always remember it.  Thank you for their happy moments, their quiet moments, and the moments they just want to cuddle (even though these are getting fewer and fewer with each passing year).

God, help me stay strong and fortified to withstand all the battles that I will have with my children - even when I feel like David facing Goliath.  I know my children have more energy than me.  I know that they are intelligent, creative, and cunning creatures that often use their sweet little faces and soft spoken words to try to lull me into a trap.  But, help me to recognize these traps and stay strong.  After all, they can't always need to use the potty five times after it's time for bed.  They don't always need that one last drink.  I read the same nighttime story three times without skipping any pages.  And, I know that they're often times stalling when they ask for one last bedtime kiss - that one is so hard to fight.

Help me remember that I don't regret giving up my "no kids" days.  After all, they weren't filled with the little gifts of "flowers" that my kids bring to me during Spring.  I didn't have to verify that my clothes aren't covered with fingerprints when they want to give me one last hug before I leave them with the babysitter.  And, I never knew the joys of having someone love you so much even after you've had to hold them down for shots. 

I realize that I am blessed and that you gave these blessings to me.  Thank you for these things.  It makes me realize that, just as I look at my kids, you probably look at me and have these same thoughts. 

My final prayer to you is that you give me many more days filled with fingerprints on the walls, toys on the floor, whispers in the morning, and memories to hold over their heads when they have their own kids.

Thank you, God.

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