Praying with Understanding

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Prayer, I believe is a conversation between us and God, either we are giving thanks, making requests or even asking questions. Yet it is not uncommon to feel like a prayer could be such a complicated and maybe even a delicate conversation to have, after all, it's God we are talking to here. There is no way that wouldn't be somehow daunting! I remember learning to pray as a child during family devotions and how nervous I'd get, mumbling through my words, hardly able to get anything coherent out. My auntie, bless her, would jump in the middle of one of my many long pauses to rescue me and carry on with the prayer but once we were done, my uncle would almost chide her for not giving me a chance to learn and develop my confidence. I didn't blame her; I found those long pauses very uncomfortable too! So, I usually understand when people tell me they do not know how to pray and would prefer others to pray for them or they'll just avoid it altogether and some even ask if
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♫ What a friend I have in Writing!

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Writing is an outlet for emotions, I know most writers will agree with that statement. It's a way to capture an idea,intention or point or even convey a message and depending on your flair,build around it and decide to share this creative piece with people if you so choose. I have never seen myself as having any sort of skill in writing, not in any way but my earliest recollection of writing was when I was about 8 years old, I loved to create my own comic magazines, adapted from favourite ones I read of course and I would also draw my characters; reading was my thing then and still is.

Does this ring any bells?
I loved reading comics such as Beano, Asterix , Dandy, Archie etc as a child, they were my brother's but I would of course sneak into his room and read them, as fast as I could ( I have already suggested these to my children by stocking up their bookshelves with it!), these were my earliest inspiration. I did entertain, briefly, the aspirations of becoming an accomplished author in children's humour when I got older, but... writing, still a passion of mine has had it's own journey in my life. It got pushed to the back seat many times as others things in my life had needed to take priority (studies! university! children! life!) but.. it was always there, every school essay ended up as a creative piece that always got commendations, my final thesis was voted the best in my year and published in an international journal; winning business proposals; love letters were my thing in every relationship💗. Writing was my tested and trusted friend: it never left me.

That I am not an accomplished writer or author does not lessen my appreciation or love for writing and maybe I should stop saying ' I have no writing skills'. It's just something I love doing and that is all that matters, maybe I will at some point be inspired to write and publish a book, maybe... Right now, a few lines is a good start for me. I teach my kids to do what they love, dream big and follow those dreams; be careful! kids can give that a wide interpretation: from excessive consumption of chocolates to wanting to spend most hours of the day on PS4! I had to explain those were definitely not the type of dreams I was talking about!

I am so glad my children caught the reading bug and one of them has already started showing some great writing skill as well, he is fascinated with Diary of a Wimpy Kid and has got every one of those books, has read each one dozen times over, goes to bed every night with at least two! He desperately wants to talk to Jeff Kinney about some of the stories and ideas he has??!!  He actually believed I helped to post a letter he had written to him, I lost the letter, I wish I hadn't. Did I mention I was a Flash Reader as a child? i.e someone who is able to read in a flash, haha. My son is too and I couldn't be prouder!

One of my coping strategies at this time is: writing, it has helped me greatly, it's my getaway from chores, kids home learning (so hard!), and missing the outside world.

What are your coping strategies?

We are all endowed with great gifts and talents and it's amazing to see it in display all around us, I mean see how innovative we can be with us being stuck indoors?! Online bingo, virtual pub quiz, artistic people changing the equation and making sure we are not without entertainment and of course lots and lots of volunteers in different sectors and amazing fundraisers like Captain Sir Tom Moore who has been duly recognized for his amazing NHS fundraising. Come on, you've got it in you!

I encourage all parents out there to pick up a book (we are currently reading Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery) and start to read a chapter at a time to your little ones, as a bedtime story or huddled together on a comfy sofa during the daytime or whatever time that works best for you.Bring your kids into this beautiful world of reading and let their imagination do the rest.

If you will like some book recommendations, please do leave it in your comments and I will see what I can come up with.

It's Mental Health Awareness week, let's remember to be kind to one another, Kindness doesn't cost a thing!

Thanks for reading.x

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