April 22: Mother and Child, Praying, Scary Movie

He prayed, his eyes upon the painting of the Mother and Child near the altar.  He prayed for his dead adoptive father, and for his mother and father whom he had never known.  For all the things he never knew.

Okay, Ives prays a lot in the book.  He prays for his son and parents.  For understanding and forgiveness.  He struggles with his feelings for God, but Ives never turns his back on Him.

I spend a lot of my day praying.  I wake up, stumble into the bathroom, and start thinking about people who need help.  People who are sick or struggling.  Who need to be uplifted.  My sister and mother.  A friend with lung cancer.  That's all before I brush my teeth.

And then, driving to work, I pray.  I'm not always happy at the medical office, so I pray for patience and maybe a little joy.  All day long, I say little prayers, especially when I find myself getting angry or annoyed.

Tonight, I'm praying that I don't have nightmares.  I screened The Exorcist for my students this evening.  I've seen it many times.  It still scares the shit out of me.

Saint Marty is going to bed now.  Hopefully, he'll stay awake long enough toooooooooooooo........

I sometimes pray for other people, too...