Somehow it seemed a lot easier to find the time to pray with each other before the kids came along. Not that we would trade the kids for anything. Now it seems anytime we try to pray together the kids need us, or there is a tiny chorus of crying vying for our attention. It is like they have a radar that alerts them to when mommy and daddy our trying to do something grown-up, and therefore they must intervene and cause disruption. So lately we have learned to pray with the kids. We have learned to pray together amidst the chaos and to pray alongside are children, who through their play and cries, are offering their own prayers to God. Sometimes we pray evening prayer aloud while I fix dinner, sometimes a Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet in the car, and on a rare occasion we are able to pray morning prayer together before the kiddos arise!
However, there is one time that we are committed to where we pray just as a couple. There are no distractions or interruptions, just us. It is a simple routine, but it is our prayer time. Our time to come united as a couple to present our needs and thanksgivings to God. Every night the last thing Jason and I do before we go to sleep is list our intentions, and pray and Our Father and Hail Mary. Although very simple, this is our commitment to each other and to God. I know that we receive many blessings from this time each night!
I love this post and last week's, too!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more on all the points - it was easier before kids, it's learning to include the kids, and the importance of having some sort of fixed prayer routine. For us it's night prayer - I LOVE it (most nights, although sometimes I find myself falling asleep during) because it's closing our day together.
I also say a decade of the Rosary with Bella when she's having a hard time calming down at night. Praying such a powerful prayer puts me spiritually at ease before bedtime, and the rhythmic repetition proves soothing to her.