Prayerful habits

As I try to do my part to teach Faith the beginning of the love that Jesus has for us she does her best to remember to pray. What started as a generic grace in Motown has turned into a full individual prayer at all times before meals and snacks. As we fold our hands or arms she bows her head and says, "Dear Lord, thank you.... and looks at all the things that she sees and names each one as she looks around the room. Let us not forget our family near and far. So she names them off the best she can. Next is the kitties.... all 5 of them by names. Oops she almost forgot to give thanks for the eating utensils. Have to be thankful for them.
What I remember a few months back is a conversation with a coworker about a child not being able to grasp what being thankful is all about. I try to teach her how much she is loved and how much we are given each day from the Lord. As she ran around the house last night she stopped in mid stride to fold her arms. Her conversation went like this. "Dear Lord, mumble mumble mumble.... Amen" Then she found her old booster seat. She said her same prayer over and over again while sitting in it. It was like she was practicing what she was being taught. A little seed was planted in her heart there in Motown. If nothing else good came of being in that awful daycare, prayer came to all of us. Now as we finish reading at night she runs over to her red drawer and pulls out her nighttime prayer book. She goes to the middle of her room where she sits on her knees, bows her head and folds her arms. "Dear Lord..... Amen" A sense of peace comes over me and a little voice tells me that we'll be alright.