Prayers Heavenward (and a giveaway)

Benjamin woke with a fever. With a touch to his head, I knew my list of plans for the day would be shortened.  Instead of tackling the cleaning I had been neglecting in my weeks of morning sickness, I put down the broom and picked up my boy.  He asked for grapes for breakfast so I settled him on the floor with his bowl and went to sneak my hands into the soapy dishwater.  But before I could scrub a fork or a glass, little feet toddled in and little arms reached up for me.  Having grown quite independent since turning one, I can't say I minded the extra snuggles so we retired to the couch and a pile of books. 

Burning head rested on my chest and warm fingers caressed mine as we opened the first page of  This Little Prayer of Mine by Anthony DeStefano.  The other children joined us before a word had been uttered.  Owen snuggled on my left and the older two squeezed in around the edges.  We let the simple words of this prayer-poem quiet our hearts.  Gentle illustations (by Mark Elliot) brought smiles as we absorbed the words and Mama held onto a few lines and whispered them over her feverish boy. 

When I feel all mixed up,

unsure of what to do,

please show me what the right path is

and help me follow you.

 

The words flowed as the prayers of request turned into prayers of thanksgiving and we turned our eyes away from our own needs and focused on all that He had given on this spring day. 

But most of all I'm grateful

for your love that never ends.

We neared the end of the book and my sick boy nuzzled close.  I kissed his wispy hair.

Please love me God, forevermore.

That's all I want.

Amen.

And Benjamin, still settled back against me, piped up his baby voice, "Amen."

*****

To order a copy of you own, click here.  Or enter to win a copy for your little ones.  There are three ways to earn an entry:

• Earn 1 entry by leaving a comment describing your favorite place to read.
• Earn 1 entry by blogging about this contest. Don't forget to leave a separate comment with the link to your post.
• Earn 1 entry by sharing this contest with your Facebook or Twitter friends. Again, be sure to leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

Giveaway ends Saturday, April 10 at 9 pm ET. Open to U.S. readers only.

 

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.