Recently I found myself thinking about things I prayed for as a child.  As I reflected, it occurred to me that I can now see how some of those prayers have been answered.

I remember being in bed, in the darkness of my room, praying for my parents and my family.  My father was an airline pilot.  I sometimes worried about his safety.  I heard him tell stories about flying, including malfunctioning landing gear and landing the plane on its belly.  I prayed that God would protect him from crashing.  I prayed that God would give my parents long, happy lives.  They will both be 80 years old soon, with a multitude of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Yep, I think God said, “Ok, Tommy, I’ll keep an eye on them.”  (I’m sure others were praying as well).

I prayed for my wife.  I figured someday I would get married, so I asked God to help me find a good wife and to keep her safe, wherever she may be.  I didn’t know who she was yet, but God did.  I jumped the gun a few times thinking I had found her.  It took a snowstorm to finally bring us together.  I love how God works.

One of my earliest prayer memories is when I was in third or fourth grade.  I went to Catholic School, which often included attendance at Mass before class.  I remember kneeling during Mass, trying to process the many childlike questions about faith and God that bounced through my little head.  My prayer became, “God, please show me the way.”  That prayer resulted in quite a journey of many years.  The journey continues, and God is still saying, “Ok, Tommy, I’ll show you.”  I’m still learning, and God is still teaching.

I’m so grateful.  One of my prayers now is, “Don’t let me lose that childlike faith!”