Boys Are Special

I have always loved listening to Kiera’s bedtime prayers. It’s so amazing to listen to her as she talks to God. As she has gotten older, we do prayers differently. Sometimes she will say them, other times we share the prayer and then there are times that I say a prayer out loud and she prays quietly to herself.

Some nights, you can really see what is working on her heart when she prays and then there are other times… well, I’ll get to that in a minute.

I have pulled a couple of my favorite prayers that I have shared with you before. This one dates back to July 29, 2013.

Last night as we were putting Kiera to bed, we asked if she was ready to say her prayers. Kiera, being extremely cranky, said with a pout, "No! You and Daddy pray." Aaron and I said prayers and then Aaron said to Kiera, "God likes it when we talk to Him." Kiera lay there for a moment before cupping her hand to her ear as if holding a phone. She said, "Hello? God? Yes. I have present for you. I love you too. Bye." She looks at us and says, "I call God. I say I have present for you. He say thank you for my present. I love you. I say I love you too."

I remember how my heart melted at those words.

This next one is from September 15, 2013. Tonight, Kiera started praying, "thank you God for our friends, our food…" she paused, opened her eyes and turned to look at me, "Did we have food?" She asked. I stared at her for a second before I responded, "umm...yes." Satisfied, she closed her eyes and continued on with her prayer.

Our prayers have evolved a lot from those times. Every night, we always pray for our military, first responders, police, and EMT’s. We pray for our family and our pets. Often one or both of us will throw in an additional thing.

About a month ago, I was getting her ready for bed. She had been playing hard all day at a local camp.

I covered her with a fluffy blanket, turned out the light and began to pat her back. “Do you want to say the prayer or me?” I asked.

She gave a deep sigh. “I don’t know what to pray about.” She stated in a sad voice.

Knowing that she was exhausted, I tried to help her a little. “Well, baby. What are you thankful for?” I asked.

Now, just for a reference point, this has always worked in the past. She will usually answer that she is thankful for her family, dogs, friends, etc. Once she says something along that line, then we say a prayer. This night though…

There was a quiet moment as she thought about my question.

Then she answered in a clear and calm voice, “I’m thankful that I was born a girl and not a boy. Boys are… special.”

I paused in patting her back as I pondered that statement. “Yes, they are.” I replied. “You know what? I’ll say the prayer tonight.”

Rowonna McNeely works as the Communications Manager for the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce. She and her husband, Aaron are regular volunteers in the community, and have their hands full with their daughter, Kiera, along with three dogs and one cat.

Thank you for sharing in our weekly journeys. If you have missed any of our past stories, check out our blog page at www.lifea2k.net or drop us a line at lifea2k@yahoo.com.