What do you wish for? Do you even believe in wishing?

I pray with my twins each night. Praying is a cousin of wishing. Wishes are letters sent with no address,  just lots of pretty stamps. Prayers are precisely addressed to God.

 

Something tender happens when I pray with my girls. They listen. There is no editing on their part, but sometimes they cannot keep their questions quiet, and they ask.

 

"Why are you sorry about what you said to your sister?"

 

"What happened to Martha that you are praying for her?"

 

"I didn't know your back hurts, Mama. I am so sorry."

 

My girls pray for their marriages every night. They have kept it up for three years. They each ask to be a good wife, and they pray for their husbands to be good fathers. 

 

Praying with someone you love makes you vulnerable. Even though my daughters have a perfect history of not judging me, I still falter as I admit my wrongs aloud. Their eyes are closed, but their hearts are open. It is a miracle every time.

 

The 12 step program suggests that admitting our faults to another human being is part of the road to spiritual well being. Walking it with someone who cares for you brightens the path with candlelight.

photo by Jenny Stein