Gretchen attends a parochial preschool and apparently this week they have been discussing prayer. Last night I sent the girls upstairs to brush their teeth, wash their faces and get ready for bed. A short while later I followed upstairs to tuck them in and read books.

Rather than hopping into bed, Gretchen was standing in the middle of her room. I asked what she was doing and she said she wanted to show me her prayer spot. On the floor next to the wall was a travel size pillow. She kneeled down and started right in, 'In the name of the Father, ..." then she started to say something and but stopped and said that she was going to say her prayer. Gretchen prayed "Bless us oh Lord and these our gifts..." You know the Prayer Before Meals, at 8:15pm, about 2 hours after dinner.

Sprinkle Jar

Growing up in my parent’s house, there was a shaker jar filled with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar in the cupboard between the stove and the refrigerator. For breakfast, or a sweet treat, we would toast a piece of bread, apply a thin layer of margarine, watch it melt into the toast and shake on an even coating of cinnamon-sugar goodness.

The image of the cinnamon-sugar shaking down onto the toast popped into my head yesterday. I wish that I could fill a shaker jar with tiny sparkly particles of patience, calm, warmth, a few deep breaths, a little extra time and keep it in my kitchen cupboard. The label would read “sprinkle to taste, refill as needed”.

This fall has been a particularly busy one, maybe I just need to slow it down and enjoy. I should take the time to open the windows and enjoy the crisp air, cook a pot of chili, bake a batch of anything, sing along to some 90s alternative rock and make a pot of tea. That ought to fill my sprinkle jar to the brim.

Gretchen really wanted to play soccer this fall but wasn't all that hot on it went it came to actually playing with a bunch of kids she had never met. She needed a pep talk from Daddy before agreeing to play during the first game.

Once she is convinced to join in she really tries her best. The balls for the 'Just for Kicks' league are soft foam so even though she kicked this ball really hard it just kind of rolled along.

Happy to be done with the game and ready to dive into that snack!

Gretchen was really excited to go to preschool and see some of her friends from daycare. She has had a lot of fun so far, though says that they do the same thing everyday - darn schedule! Here she headed out the front door on the first day. She calls this her "God save the Queen" shirt.