Each night, when we put Katy Rose to bed, we have a little routine that we follow. After getting all ready – diaper changed, jammies on, two binkies down from “the top” as Katy Rose calls it (on the shelf above her changing pad) – then we say our good-night prayer. I usually hold her while we do it, but on rare occasions she has allowed her daddy to hold her during prayers.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Please keep me safe and well throughout the night,
And wake me with the morning light. Amen.
After we finish saying our prayers, Daddy gets the Holy Water from “the top” and we bless Katy Rose, Mommy and Daddy with it. We have two bottles of Holy Water—one that is in the shape of a shell, which was given to us at Katy’s baptism, and the other in the shape of the Virgin Mary in a standing position.
Recently, Katy Rose pointed up to the plastic Virgin Mary bottle and asked me what it was. She thought there was a castle on top of her head, because the bottle cap is shaped like a crown. I explained to her that it was her crown (which is a new word—Katy’s version is “princess hat”), and that this is the Virgin Mary. Then I wondered how to put it in terms she might understand better. So, I said, “This is Jesus’ mommy.”
After that night, when we do our nighttime routine, she asks for Jesus’ mommy. Now she is even in the habit of wanting to bless Mommy and Daddy with the Holy Water the way Daddy does it. So Mike will bless our foreheads with it, and then Katy Rose does it too. It’s nice to be so blessed!
Last week, as I was thoroughly embarrassed by Katy Rose misbehaving in the middle of church, when we got out to the fountain of Holy Water I was glad to have her occupied for a moment in a way that was silent… She got very busy blessing herself and her mommy while I gathered my wits. This week, as Mike was with us, I did not have such a difficult time. In fact, it was hard not to be entertained by her. It’s amazing what connections a young child draws in her mind with such limited information coming in.
We were sitting in the pew as church had begun. After singing the opening song in the Breaking Bread hymnal, I closed the book and put it back in the pocket in front of us. Katy Rose wanted to see the book, so I handed it to her. There was a depiction of the adult Jesus on the cover. Katy Rose pointed to it and said, “Look Mommy. Jesus’ daddy!” She made sure to tell me multiple times, as I wondered about the value of trying to straighten this confusion out. I think I explained to her twice that it was Jesus instead of Jesus’ daddy, and then decided to let it go and focus on the renewed effort to get her to whisper instead.
Then a woman with long hair walked up to the lectern to deliver the first reading. Katy Rose saw her, pointed, looked at me and excitedly declared, “There’s Jesus’ mommy!” I was at a loss for words at this point, as she made her declaration several times. I looked at Mike and the two of us just tried not to laugh. It was so precious and so cute… and so not quite right. But hey, at least I know she is paying attention, right?
God Bless Katy Rose, and Mommy and Daddy... and Jesus' Mommy, of course.
No comments:
Post a Comment