When the Homily is about Immunology

Sister Kelsey?

Sometimes kids do the darndest things. As my wife and I were gathering our troops for the forced march home, Basil informed me that my daughter Kelsey was in the church and that upon being told by him that she ought not to be playing in the church she responded: "I'm not playing, I'm praying."

Naturally, I did not believe that prayer could be her motivation (jeez, what a pompous jerk I am!) and so I moved into the narthex and was somewhat horrified to think that Basil might have meant she was in the NAVE!!!! I peeked into the Nave by way of the glass window in the "cry room" and was amazed to see my 7 year old standing alone and at attention a few feet back from the Theotokos on the Iconstasis.

I walked in and could hear her indistinctly murmuring to herself and so I quietly approached her.

"What are you doing, hun?" I whipsered.
"Praying."
"What are you praying?" I inquired.
"Ummm...I'm am just singing Christ is Risen one more time," she said matter-of-factly.
"Are you almost done?" I asked, perhaps a abit too anxious to get home.
"Not yet."
"Okay, well, we will just wait for when you are done."

I walked out, shaking my head in amazement. As I turned to cross myself before leaving I could not help but get that warm fuzzy parental feeling as I saw her standing there alone...an amazing image - wish I had had a camera.

Later, upon arriving at home, she set to work on a project of writing and coloring a very elaborately decorated poster of the "Prayers before a Meal", which I imagine will find a home somewhere near the dinning table. And as if this were not enough, just before bedtime she took it upon herself to begin drawing an Icon of the Theotokos - a copy of which I will post here shortly.

I do not know what inspired this surge of spiritual activities, but I cannot help but be gratified with the belief that all of the labor (which I all too often selfishly lament) of dragging my kids to long services and instituing strange eating guidlines and prayer times might actually be having a noticeable effect. Glory to God for all things!

Time for me to follow my daughters example and start letting these things have more of an effect on ME!. Imagine how such a thing as THAT would affect my children?

May it be so, Lord.