Did you think to pray?

Heavenly Father, are you really there?

And do you hear and answer ev'ry child's prayer?

Some say that heaven is far away,

But I feel it close around me as I pray.

Heavenly Father, I remember now

Something that Jesus told disciples long ago:

"Suffer the children to come to me."

Father, in prayer I'm coming now to thee.

Pray, he is there;

Speak, he is list'ning.

You are his child;

His love now surrounds you.

He hears your prayer;

He loves the children.

Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven

If there is anything I want my children to be able to say about me when they are older, it is that their mother taught them to pray.  And to pray over everything.  I don't know if I'm doing as good of a job as I hope to do, but I am trying.

We had a neat experience a few months ago that I feel prompted to record.  Maybe we will share it in a talk or lesson someday.

The girls and I had just arrived in Idaho Falls and were waiting at the curb for my friend Raygon to pick us up.  She was running a few minutes late so we just hung under the shade and watched the people come and go.  A young lady was obviously running late for her flight.  You could tell as she scurried with her suitcase lagging behind.  A few minutes later she hurriedly exited the airport and went to her car, which happened to be parked in our view.  She looked quite frazzled as she fumbled around, then before I knew it, she was laying on the ground- one shoe came off and her belongings scattered around her.  She fumbled to get her shoe back on while I told the girls to stay put.  I rushed across the parking lot to check on her.  "Are you okay?  Are you hurt?" I asked.  I'm late for my flight and I forgot my ID in the car.  I am pretty sure I am going to miss my flight because they already boarded."  Tears and distress ran down her face as we rushed back toward the entrance.  I wanted to know if there was anything I could do, but she said no and hurried back inside. 

Her face would not leave me.  I made my way back to my girls and told them to pray very hard that she would make her flight.  And pray we did!  We (or at least I) prayed all weekend.  "Oh Heavenly Father, please help that girl to have made her flight", "it was obviously a terrible day for her.  Please let her be to the destination she was headed to."  Oh, how I prayed for that stranger!  And how badly I wished to know if she had made it.  I don't remember praying specifically for that, although I very well could have, but I wanted to know so badly.  I wanted it to be an experience that my girls could have closure to; to know if their prayers had been answered.

That happened on Friday.

On Monday, we were back at the airport for our return flight.  I about died of a heart attack when I saw the same girl standing just feet away from me!  Wearing the same pink sweater and black pants so I could recognize her!  I about knocked her over as I made a beeline towards her to see how she was and if she had made her flight.  A very kind and loving Heavenly Father had answered the prayers of three little girls, a mom and no doubt a very stressed and worried young lady, because she made it!  She said she made her flight!  I told her that we had prayed so hard for her and that we worried all weekend.  It was such a tender mercy to see her.  

Surely Heavenly Father knows of my desire to teach my children to pray over everything.  He blessed me so greatly the day he let me run into her.  I mean, c'mon, what are the chances??!!  

Now, a few person thoughts on prayer and things I want my kids to know:

We do a lot of praying over lost items in this house.  I mean, almost daily.  In fact, just today I could not find my house keys.  After some futile attempts on my own, I finally knelt down and asked for the help I needed.  Within a few minutes, I had the keys in my hand.  They were in a box of Christmas decorations in the laundry room.  I would have never found them!  

I hope my girls know by now that when we pray for help finding something there is a method to it:

Kneel

Pray for help

Be still and quiet

Begin searching

Follow any promptings

Know that you mom is praying you will find it just so you can gain a testimony of the power of prayer- that isn't part of the method but I do pray for that

I am always so proud when my girls tell me they have done this on their own :)

We have also done a lot of praying over friends in this house.  Seasons in life change and new friendships need to be made while old ones are severed.  

Jared and I pray together for this as well as praying individually with the struggling child. 

Just tonight Kimber told me she needs a new friend.  I told her we needed to pray about it and that a new friend would come.  I know one will because it happens every time.  Heavenly Father is so kind.

I never want my kids to feel awkward about praying individually with myself or Jared.  I hope we do it often enough that there isn't room for awkwardness.

It is important to pray over anything and everything.  Today I prayed over doing makeup for M'Kayla Hall's makeup.  She had asked me to do it for her for Winter Formal.  A lot of prayer went into it and I think it turned out okay.

Be sure to show gratitude in your prayers.  Every night when I kneed to pray, I begin with thanking Heavenly Father for the thing I am most grateful for that day.  Sometimes it comes easily to me and other times I spend little time in peaceful reflection of the day.  Either way, it is a nice way to focus on your prayer.

Most importantly, I want my kids to know that when prayer is the thing that gets me through every day, every trail, every illness, every worry, every tiny challenge, every big challenge, every THING.  If we have such a kind and loving Heavenly Father who is willing to help us, why not go to him and seek the help he wants to give?