I have written letters on my children's first birthdays, that I put aside till they are going away to college.
But my son turns 10 this year, actually this week. And I've been contemplating some things I could do for him from me, for this special Double Digit time in his life.
Through the powers of Pinterest (it's taking over the world isn't it!?!) I found a letter written by Tina Fey, to her daughter that was published in her book. The letter has humor and truth to it ~ making it completely personal from mommy to daughter.
So I decided to take her idea, and humor at times, and create my own lil prayer for Tim for the next 10 or so years. With a few of Tina's words, a bit of my own, adding some of Tim's personality, and a bit of my prayerful heart....here it is:
My prayer for Tim:
First Lord, teach me to see him as, A Blessing. A Miracle. A
Joy. My Gift.
Remind him from time to time that his daddy is a superhero.
Who will move mountains, jump from building to building, fly across the world,
and take a bullet for him.
For him…please no tattoos. May no Chinese symbol, no little
birds flying away, or tiny flower or design, stain his precious skin. May Your
words be on his heart, not his arm.
When the crystal meth is offered or the joint is passed his
way, may he remember he is a temple and have the courage to walk away.
Guide him and protect him…when he crosses the street, is
within the water, standing, walking, running, on a bike, on a scooter, on a
motorcycle, in a car…when he is down on this earth and when he is above it.
While he walks in foreign land, at home or away,
I pray his footsteps become footsteps of faith.
Keep him protected from anything high, anywhere, at any age....but when he quivers around all that is high...remind him of Your protection.
Guide him Father, when he walks…when he begins to walk away
from us.
Help him to learn to play drums, to his own fiery rhythm of
His Own Heart, so loud, that he will not hear the cadence of the other
drummers.
Remind him fighting is never the answer. But also remind him to fight for what he believes in, and to not let others take his beliefs away.
Help him to find something he will be passionate about, something
where he can make his own hours but still feel fulfilled. Help him
see outside the window, everything that YOU created. The simple breeze
through the trees, the beauty in a flower, the sun upon his face, the
perfectness of a snowflake.
Teach him to crawl again. Now that he is running, he is
moving faster through life. In a few years he will be sprinting, and once he is
behind the wheel he will take off.
Let him be still holding a matchbox car for
a few years before he is holding the keys to one.
And when he looks up and sees her. Let his mind not be
flooded with only thoughts of her, but help him to remember me, his sisters,
his grandmothers, and all the other women in his life. Help him to remember to
care for her like a fragile flower.
To honor her like women should be honored. Help him to love her as You love her.
One night Lord, he may be up walking the halls with his
beloved.
He will see her in pain and he will have no clue what to do.
How can
he help her? How will he do this? Will he be a good father?
Remind him Lord,
all the years of him learning to love, from his daddy, from his Father.
And when he’s up walking and rocking the new lil one,
changing his lil one, loving his lil one, remind him Lord these words…
“My mother did this for me once.”
“My mother did this for me once.”
Amen
August 2012
-excerpts taken from Tina Fey
