Becoming Analise

Here are a few stories about Riley Grace from the past two weeks that will set the tone for a lesson on prayer! #1 Riley Grace’s teacher’s grandfather recently passed away, and Riley Grace was really struck by this event. She told me that she remembered when her grandmother passed away last year, and she didn’t want her teacher to be sad like she was. She decided to make her teacher a card and buy her some flowers! Riley Grace was explaining to me that her teacher didn’t need to be sad because her grandfather was in heaven. This spurred on a conversation about how we weren’t sure that he is in heaven because we weren’t aware of her teacher and her teacher’s family’s spiritual beliefs. We talked about how people who don’t believe in Jesus do not spend eternity with Him in heaven. What she took away from that conversation was the need to confirm that her teacher believed in Jesus. The following day, without my knowledge, Riley Grace asked her teacher if she b...

Riley Grace, who will be five in three months, is my beautiful, spunky, creative, funny, inquisitive daughter, who at this point, still calls her daddy and mama her best friends! :-)   She never wants to leave the house without stockings. She despises bows, although she has about fifty of them hanging on a beautiful bow hanger in her room that is rarely used. Her creativity in drawing portraits of people astound me daily, as she tells me the tales of what’s going on in the lives of the people she’s creating. Her inquisitive spirit thrills and encourages me as we read Bible stories together and pray about the events of our day. Her dance skills and impromptu songs about random topics crack me up, as I see that she truly loves to make people laugh. She is truly a joy, and I am overwhelmed daily at the precious opportunity I have to be her mother, and also humbled and sobered at the incredible responsibility I have to exemplify Christ to her in every moment! ...

It was a normal Thursday afternoon at work. I work at a preschool for three- and four-year-old students. Riley Grace is a student at my school, but she’s not in my class. I see her throughout the day, and it’s such a blessing. I love watching her grow, sharing experiences with her, and seeing her develop friendships. On this particular Thursday afternoon, Riley Grace woke up 45 minutes early from her nap. (If students wake up early, they are supposed to stay on their cots until rest time is officially over. However, Riley Grace sometimes has a hard time with this rule because once she wakes up and sees me, she wants to come talk to me…) As usual, as soon as she saw me, she walked over to where I was sitting. Our short conversation was as follows: Me: “Good morning, sweetheart. Did you have a good rest?” RG: * sleepy nod * Me: “You know, you need to go back to your cot until rest time is over? We have a few more minutes until snack, and Mama has to get snack ready for all o...