thank you

The prayers of my childhood happened right before bed. I would sit on my pillow, eyes shut, hands clasped. And very concentrated on the task at hand, I would spill out a little stream of thanks and gratitude -- I found so much to be grateful for in that short span of time before I fell asleep; you name it, and my little heart was so very grateful for it. Perhaps I didn't know any other way to pray at that age, but the prayers of my early years were said with such consistent and pure simplicity. Not a night would go by that I didn't practice my little ritual, placing my litany of thanks at the throne of Holy God.

It has been many years since I perched on my pillow to simply tell God about all the things I was grateful for. I've grown up, I guess. Things have changed. Preparations for school are well underway now, and as I bundle all my belongings into boxes and bags and suitcases (hoping to somehow fit it all in a teensy college dorm) I find myself continually floating back to the memories of my childhood. Maybe I'm just hopelessly nostalgic, but it really is a sweet sensation, remembering those days. 

Life is busier now than it used to be. Years have passed, and I've changed. I'm much taller, and my hair is darker and curly. Even my prayer has evolved over time, developing into intercession and meditation and vocal prayers... but as I reminisce on the days when I was a lot shorter and my hair a lot blonder, I am reminded of the beauty in the simple, uncomplicated prayer of gratitude.

I really do think that as my days get heavier and responsibilities become more pressing, so does my need for the simple prayer of thanks. Thousands of chaotic little details have been clogging up my heart lately, leaving me yearning for the space to just breathe, a moment of freedom. My days are so blessed, but I'm quite lost in the chaos; and so, I'm determined to try and take up the simple prayer of my childhood again. At the end of each and everyday, I will go in faith as a child to sit at the feet of the Father, joyfully and humbly thanking Him my thanks -- truly, there is so much to be grateful for.

... Thank You, God.