Daddys and Bedtime Prayers

Bed time prayers are one of the simple pleasures of being a parent that I treasure more than nearly any other task that I complete daily. The confidence in knowing that your child/children, even at ages 1 and 3 are developing a relationship with God and learning to communicate with Him is one of the most beautiful and rewarding aspects of parenthood. Tonight, as I was putting Michaela to bed, after 2 nights of someone else doing it, and she was giggling as we teasingly thanked God for pickles, peanut butter and hippopotamuses, and she reached up to give me "Eskimo kisses" I immediately flashed back to memories of my bed time prayers with my daddy.

My dad is very special to me, in a great many ways that I hadn't observed over the last many years. When there is the teenage rebellion, the overly confident college independence and the scoffing at unsolicited advice in early parenthood it's easy to forget, overlook or simply ignore the life that he spoke into me, the lessons he taught me and some of the great memories that I have because of him. When faced with the prospect of losing that relationship, not having him as a sounding board, a gentle spirit or even the rambling chatterbox, those thoughts and memories become far more precious and the respect and value that I possess for my dad becomes ever more apparent. Tonight, one of those very special memories flashed to mind, as after spending the night with MoMo and PaPa, Michaela eagerly gave "Eskimo kisses" which was always one of my dad's trademark moves.

Our bedtime routine, though it wasn't every night, usually went something like this: We'd chat for a bit, maybe he'd read a story or part of a story and then we'd pray the rehearsed prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen." Then he'd give me eskimo kisses, a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose, and then on the forehead. A kiss on the nose is something that is rare and unique and my dad is one of the only ones I've known to do that, so when Michaela tenderly kissed my nose I couldn't help but get teary eyed thinking of those special moments with my dad. And after all the giggles and rehearsed prayers were done he'd say to me the one phrase that even now he'll still whisper on occasion, "I'll hug you forever." No matter where we are in our lives, how far we've drifted apart, whether we talk daily or not for several weeks, I know that he will hug me as long as he has strength enough to lift his arms, and I cherish that, just his promise that he'll always make sure I have milk and oj, how he showed up at my college apartment with them in hand, long talks and all of the memories of bed time prayers and Eskimo kisses.

I love you, Daddy, and I will hug you forever...