The Lord's Prayer

We could see the children's insecurity... No, they haven't been naughty or seeking negative attention if that's what some parents might think, or insist -- but we know our own children and we know when it's a real menace or fear.

Joy has been crying and clingy at nap and bed times. Couldn't do anything with her -- she wouldn't let me carry her if I wasn't leaving the room with her; but I couldn't because Faith needed me too, and it's bed time. Eventually, KH couldn't bear her wails and picked her up from the foot of the bed. She struggled to get off just like when I tried to carry her, but was calmed in seconds and fell asleep in less than 5 minutes -- yes, she's THAT tired! Not because her day was stretched; she's just that tired from all that stressful crying!

Later on, KH told me he only sang The Lord's Prayer to her and before he even finished, she was asleep. That has been going on for more than a week now, and it seem to have bonded Joy to daddy a lot. It's a blessing that she's taken to daddy for her needs just before the arrival of her new sibling. How wonderous God's timing.

Faith, on the other hand, has been more fragile emotionally for quite awhile...very, very sensitive. Sometime back, it was she, who requested one evening when she was teary and apprehensive about going to bed, "Mommy, Jesus pray...". I couldn't understand her, so I asked her what she meant, and waited. She thought again quietly and pointed to a framed cross-stitch that was just passed to us by our friends who were leaving Shanghai, and said, "Mommy sing...Jesus pray."

All I could think of was The Lord's Prayer, but I wasn't sure because I don't remember her hearing it much after she was born -- it was only sung in the Catholic church and she's been attending protestant Sunday schools since we moved to Shanghai! I do remember deeply, though, that she leapt in my womb when The Lord's Prayer was sung at Good Shepherd.

So I asked her if she wanted me to sing 'Our Father in heaven...'. She repeated, "Sing 'our Father'." I sat her on my lap and sang. I could feel her comforted and calmed in my arms. After that night, she cuddled up to me more often again, and would often spontaneously hug and kiss me, telling me, "Mommy, I love you, too."

Last night she sang herself to sleep with the prayer for the first time -- tired after all the crying and talking -- I had to discipline her over some bedtime issue. She only sang 'Our Father'; I sang the rest. She was asleep before I finished. Tonight she sang again after she asked KH to sing. Her voice was so sweet when she said, "Papa sing 'the Father'?" When we sang quietly with her, we realized she could now sing 'Our Father in heaven' clearly. What followed that she couldn't remember or pronounce yet, she waited to hear us and tried to follow. Music has so far been the best way for me to teach her anything. Praise God for that! Recently we're seeing too, that she's taking to doodling and telling us her story as she doodles with pen, crayon, pencils or paint. I noticed that started and evolved dramatically since KH sat down with her and drew her sad story of her balloon being blown away.

We are so grateful that God has given us this labour of love to be parents, and have been teaching us to enjoy them, with His wisdom and His love. Indeed, in all circumstances as we give thanks to You Lord, You have blessed us. Amen.