A few minutes ago, Mercy and Aaron were sitting on the little couch in the kitchen sipping cups of water after a very sticky adventure with frosting, graham crackers and lots of candy and sprinkles that never really ended up looking much like houses. All of a sudden, I realize Mercy has closed her eyes and bowed her head. With a loud voice, she begins to pray:
“Dear Jesus,
Please I want you to give so much food to all the people who don’t have any.
The end.”
When we pray at meals, we sing a grace that my sister and I prayed throughout our childhood. It does not, in fact, mention those who are hungry and while I am sure I have spoken with her about the fact that there are hungry people, it is not something we have discussed extensively. She also doesn’t pray that often without being prompted. I am not sure what led her to pray just now. Perhaps it was the overwhelming amount of sugar she had just consumed. Perhaps she was somehow struck by the fact that we just spent an hour playing with food, food we never intended to eat, for fun. Perhaps Jesus took that moment to gently remind her that there are so many others for whom that would be a mockery.