Thursday, September 04, 2008

To Pray Without Ceasing. . .

The news is too negative. Today I speak of something else!

My husband got back from a trip a few days ago and for what ever reason, he was on me for not making the kids more religious. To me, I pray often and they see it. I have an occasional sewer mouth. I often cover my hair when I feel like I need to. I cannot explain it. I am not trying to be the cute little babushki in my church unless I feel like I need to be. I pray constantly. I have two penpals in what I can only say is a hell. I have another penpal fighting in Iraq. I write letters of encourgament to people in bad places. I have children who are friends with kids who have issues. I have much to pray about. One of my monk-priests noticed this, my well worn prayer beads and my prayer rope, he said that we had a lot in common.

Yesterday Tiger called me. Work had her by the court house but I can't say what she does. I was in a horrible battle with my ex for a few years and she said that she hates going near there but went to the nearby Catholic church before she went, lit a candle for her own bad feelings about being near there and another for the people who went in and came out sad. She prayed for the judges and the lawyers. She told me that while she worked that she saw people looking sad when they went in and that they came out looking worse. Or sometimes going in looking arrogant and came out looking smirky or sad. She saw her dad's lawyer and told me what a sad person she is-- in that she could tell that she liked her job and she is a mean person. (My former lawyer hates family law.) I was proud of her in how she told me that she prayed for so many people as she worked-- just that she was aware and felt like she was doing something for them. She said that she always gets to thinking about our battle around the first of the school year remembering what her dad pulled many years ago and it helps her get past this time by praying because she knows there are other victims.

I have often wanted at least one of my children to go into law or politics but she says that to be good in either, you need to work For the Establishment and that is to be part of the problem. She asked me to not wish that on her or the others, that we can best serve by letting the ones in power know of the struggles that they can make lighter and by praying. She would have lunch near there and sit at a table with a few lawyers as there was no place to eat at a single table. She told them about her experience in court and they asked what was done to give her the outlook she had and she told them what to tell the parents. She also told them to tell people off the bat that they didn't have time to screw with people's lives for vendettas against former spouses, and to get lawyers for the kids instead of themselves to see if it was worth it. She may one day have an effect. . . that is some forward thinking there.

I wonder if my husband realizes that she is not lacking in religion or prayer. I like how she is turning out.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love your thoughts. I've had some hellish experiences in the court system but thanks to finding a good lawyer I made it through relatively unscathed. They were not family law issues however. I think your Tiger sounds as awesome as you are.

Tea N. Crumpet said...

I love your notes, Paula-- I was just asked (and accepted) to teach long term substitute assistant teach a French class at my daughter's school and felt 12 seconds of self doubt! It was horrid, but your note brightened my day! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

They say that fathers are crucial in passing on the faith. His example might be even more important than yours!

Anonymous said...

I pray often too and they are answered often.