Sunday, June 19, 2011

Abundance

Dear God,
Today I pray for abundance in Caroline's life - abundant love, abundant opportunity, abundant joy, abundant peace. I ask that you give her more than she needs of all of your blessings and gifts. I pray that in this abundance she learns humility, gratitude, and giving back. Please bless her with many gifts and talents, and grow in her a desire to use these gifts toward your work. I pray specifically for abundant joy in her life. Life is so short and precious, and I pray that you guide her to joy always, and away from fear. I pray that she is so full of joy that she's able to inspire joy in others.

I also pray that Caroline has abundant faith. I know that it's only through faith in You that she'll come by love, opportunity, joy and peace. Please reach out to Caroline now and bind her heart to you, so that from even this very early, precious age, she's aware of You, and your presence in her life, aware of your ability to guide her to a life of abundance.

Thank you for hearing our prayers, thank you for being a God who puts no limits on the blessings we can have in our life. Please bless Caroline abundantly, and in doing so, bless all those around her.

Amen.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Daddy

Dear God,
Thank you for our baby Caroline. She is a special gift from you for me and her dad. Today I pray for her relationship with her father. I pray they continue to bond and enjoy each other, and I pray that through her life they share a special relationship. I pray that they spend time together just the two of them - making special memories and traditions that they share together. I pray that she learns from her dad about the things he loves - riding bikes, spending time outside, building and fixing things around the house. Let Caroline develop parts of her personality that reflect her father - his easy-going nature, his love of nature and travel. Please guide Dan to be a role model to Caroline, so she may know the right way a man should live and treat his family and others.

Thank you for the gifts of marriage and parenthood, and please give a special bond to Caroline and Dan today, and for the rest of their lives.

Amen.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Bueller, anyone? Bueller?

Today we spent some time with one of my friends and her sweet 1-year-old. My friend is a teacher and told a story about managing a difficult student in one of her classes. She spoke of patience, kindness and understanding. I'm so used to teachers complaining about students that it was refreshing and surprising to hear her talk about this challenging child with such hope for her future. I hope Caroline has teachers like that.

Dear God,
Thank you for teachers who spend so much of their time with our children. Thank you for the dedication they show, even when being paid so little for such important jobs. Today I pray for the people who will be Caroline's teachers. I pray that they accept her, and can always see her potential. Let them be people she'll be safe with, and people who inspire her. Let school be a positive experience for Caroline, and I pray that she'll be engaged with her school work and look forward to going to school. I pray that you guide me and Dan in making decisions about where she should go to school, and choosing the people that will lead so much of her development. I pray that she fits in at school and finds friends along the way.

Thank you God for Caroline and for all of the wonderful things you have planned for her life.
Amen.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Do you see what I see?

Today on my run (yes, I started running again, and no, it isn't pretty!) my iPod served up "Be Thou My Vision". It's a beautiful song, and the version I have is instrumental and lovely. That song inspires my prayer for Caroline today.


Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of music and for the way it moves us and inspires us. Today I pray for Caroline's vision - I pray that her sweet eyes continue to develop and focus, and I pray that they stay the beautiful blue they are today. I pray that she has good vision and doesn't have to wear glasses or contacts in her life. I pray that she's able to see herself the way I do today - as a gift from You, a precious, beautiful girl full of grace and love, and capable of anything she sets her mind to.

I also pray for her spiritual vision. I pray she's able to see you clearly. I pray particularly that she can see you during the times in her life when she's not looking for you, when she's not looking toward you. I pray you always give her vision to find you, even in the darkest of her nights. Please give Caroline the ability to see need in others, and to see how she can fill those needs. Please give her the ability to see justice, to see love and to see hope in this world.

Thank you God for vision, but thank you especially for sight.

Amen.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.

Tina Fey has a prayer, called A Mother's Prayer for Her Child - the title of today's post is a line from her prayer. I loved the line the first time I heard it, and it's stuck in my head. Today I'm praying for Caroline's brain and her career.


Dear God,
Today I pray for Caroline's intellect. I pray that you help her develop into a curious child who loves to learn and explore your Earth. I pray that she become intelligent and bright, and that she's always able to find things that interest her. When it comes time for her to choose a course of study and work, more than anything I pray that you give her a passion for something that she can make a living off of. I pray that you give her a spirit to enjoy her work - from kindergarten to retirement. Please bless Caroline with choices in life, so that she can pick the path she follows.

Thank you for Caroline and her sweet personality we're already starting to understand.
Amen

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Health

Yesterday I had my last "pregnancy" OBGYN appointment. It'll be strange to not go to that office every couple weeks! While I was there I was thinking about Caroline's health, and that inspires today's prayer.

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Dear God,
Thank you for our baby Caroline. Thank you for her sweet spirit and her healthy body. Thank you for helping us get through the issue with her heart murmur, and we pray that you continue to close up that tiny hole in her heart, and that it doesn't ever become a problem for her. I also pray for her health through her life. I pray that I'm able to teach her to take good care of her body and mind, so that she learns skills to keep herself healthy. I pray that Caroline doesn't struggle with weight in her life, and that early on I can help her learn how to eat well and incorporate activity into her life to help her maintain an appropriate weight. I pray that she continues to develop in a healthy way, and doesn't struggle with developmental issues.  I pray for her to have a strong immune system, and a strong, healthy body and that she stay as free from illness and disease as possible. Please don't ever let Caroline suffer. 

Thank you for modern medicine and the skilled hands that deliver it. Please keep and protect Caroline, and allow her to grow as a healthy, happy child. 

Amen.


Tuesday, June 7, 2011

She'll get by with a little help from her friends

Today we visited with our friend, Valerie, who was just blessed with a sweet baby boy, Tommy. Caroline went along for the trip, so it was the first time she met her new friend. They may have both slept through their introductions, but I'd say they're new friends nonetheless. Today I pray for Caroline's friends.

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Dear God,
Thank you for Valerie and for Tommy. Thank you for all of the wonderful friends we have in our lives. Please give Caroline good friends in her life, at all stages. Let her friends be creative, fun, supportive and constant. Let her have friends she can trust in and she can lean on. I pray that she has good girlfriends and learns the value of girlfriends early in her life.  I pray that her friends stand by her side in good times and bad, that they celebrate and laugh with her when things are good, and cry with her and console her when they're not. I pray that she has siblings that are her best friends, and that she's close with her cousins as well. I pray especially for her husband today, that he's out there somewhere growing into a good, honest man who will be worthy of her one day - and that they'll be close friends always. 

Thank you God for the gift of friendship, for our friends, and for Caroline's friends who we have yet to meet.

Amen.




Monday, June 6, 2011

Church family

Since moving to Orlando I've been attending First United Methodist Church of Winter Park. I've enjoyed the church, and participated in several small groups and studies along the way, but have not found a close group of people to connect with. Dan's attended with me for several years as well. When we had Caroline, we let the church know and were so surprised and pleased with how much we heard from the church. We had a call from a pastor, a note from the care team, and a note in the Sunday bulletin. Last week, I got a call from a woman from the church who's part of the Hannah Circle - she told me that the women in the circle make meals for new moms, they'd heard about Caroline and were calling to schedule to bring us 5 meals. I was stunned! I've never attended the Hannah Circle and have never met any of these women. Their generosity, love and kindness is a display of God's love and we're blessed to be on the receiving end.

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Dear God,
Thank you for the church family that we've found at FUMCWP. Thank you for the Hannah Circle who want to support us with meals this week. Thank you for their friendliness, their generosity and their willingness to help a stranger. Today I pray that Caroline comes to know the love of church family early, and that she has a good church family through her whole life. I pray that her friends from church will be positive influences on her life, and friends that stick around for a long time. I pray that she enjoys going to church, and participating in music programs and youth groups. I also pray that she becomes a woman who wants to reach out and help others. Give her a spirit for fellowship, for generosity and for love.

Thank you God for this day, for our sweet girl, and for our church family

Amen.








Sunday, June 5, 2011

Sleeping & Baths

There's a running joke in my family about how often I'd fall asleep in strange places as a child. I'd sleep just about anywhere. Still today, I really enjoy sleeping. I also really enjoy bubble baths - they're the perfect way for me to spend some time alone and relax. As a new mom, sleeping and bubble baths arent happening much right now - but in due time they will again, and right now there are other wonderful things happening that are both relaxing and enjoyable. Today my prayer is for Caroline to learn about healthy sleep and to enjoy relaxation.

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Dear God,
You've created us as people who need to sleep to restore our energy and our spirits. We need time to recharge our batteries and unplug from the grind and busy-ness of the day. In today's world there is so much taking our attention and calling at us - technology has made a world that never seems to sleep.Today I pray that Caroline learn how to rest and relax, and how to find small pleasures (like bubble baths!) in her life. I pray that she soon learn to sleep well and deeply, and that you'd bless her with restoration while she sleeps. I pray that when she wakes up she's alert and happy to be awake. I pray that she learns to enjoy her mornings - and maybe in her life she'll use those mornings to talk to you, or to study your word. God make her a woman who lives every waking moment in the best way she knows how, and who spends her sleeping moments in restorative peace.

Thank you for Caroline, thank you for the gift of sleep and relaxation.

Amen.


Saturday, June 4, 2011

Just Like GG

Yesterday my grandma came to meet Caroline for the first time. She and my grandfather live in Louisville, and she turned 80 this year. She's very active and energetic, and was thrilled to get in the car at the airport and meet Caroline - her 4th great grandchild. There are so many wonderful things about my grandmother that I admire, so my prayer today is that Caroline grows into a woman who reflects the wonderful traits of her "GG".
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Dear God,
We're so blessed with family. Thank you for our family, and thank you for the idea to create us into families. We are so lucky and blessed to raise our baby girl with the love and support of so many wonderful Christian people. Today I pray a special prayer of thanks for my grandma, Caroline's GG. Thank you for her being alive to meet Caroline, and to be so emotionally close to us even as we're entering our 30's. You've given grandma many gifts and great traits, and I pray that those are reflected in Caroline as she grows. Specifically, I pray you'll gift Caroline with these things, that are such bright spots in GG's life:
- Friendliness and a spirit to help others
- A wonderful husband who loves her and you endlessly
- The desire to learn new things and take on adventures
- A great ability to cook delicious foods
- Skills for removing stains from ANYTHING
- The desire to read and to enjoy reading
- The gift of gab
- Joy, peace, and generosity.

Thank you Lord for Caroline, and for her GG. Thank you for this week that they'll spend together. 

Amen

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Haircuts

Tonight I have a haircut, the first one since Caroline's been born, and Caroline is coming with me. Right now, Caroline has very little hair, so she'll just be observing. So today, my prayer is for her hair.

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Dear God, 
Thank you for sweet baby Caroline. Thank you for every piece of her that you perfectly formed - for her tiny ears, nose, lips and her (not so tiny) feet and toes. The miracle of life is perfect evidence of your grace and love for us, when I look at Caroline I see you. I see your perfect love in her eyes. God today I pray for her hair. I pray that she grows beautiful hair and eyelashes. I pray that she becomes a confident young woman who can distinguish between superficial beauty and real beauty. I pray for times in her life when I can braid and curl Caroline's hair and we can play beauty shop together. 

Thank you God for our baby, thank you for the miracle of continuing growth, for the growth of her body and her hair. 

Amen.