overheard at school, obviously (re-posted, with edits)
The Pea | Posted by Jannie on 17 April 2009 @ 11:35 PM 32 Comments
photo: Nov. ‘07
Our little roost ruler comes out with the most beautiful blessings at the dinner table, usually something like, “Lord, thanks for my loving parents – I wouldn’t trade them for the world. Thanks for my great school and this wonderful food. I hope the good people will stay good and the bad people will get good — and I hope it is soon.”
When she was 5 she thanked God for “the wedding” so she could be born.
And below, one particularly sweet blessing of late…
“Dear God, thank you for our food and our house and for everything we enjoy, except for the things that are just a big pain in the ass. Amen.”
Jannie believes in a great big wonderful God of love. Do you? Who is God to you? Do you pray? Do you say grace?
I pulled the original post of this about a minute after hitting publish, when a sudden paranoia struck that I’d get comments like “shut up about God already and go fling your bra,” the timing directly on the heels of my condom heart “Grannie” episode, which was a mini trauma for sensitive little me.
But I’m so over it!
A couple of you friends whose blog posts I always look forward to, Chris of Csquaredplus3 and Dot of Deeper Issues had seen the original post via their readers and were lovely enough to comment about it on the next post I’d published. Thanks for that, you two! (Not that the rest of you suck, or anything.) :) It was only because of those two commenting, that I actually came to understand how feeds work. Oy. Once you hit publish, your stuff, like, goes into RSS feeds of subscribers. To read. Like, everywhere. On the Internet. Wow.
This Internet thing is so cool and should really start catching on any day now.
Oh, I’m probably going camping in the morning so will see you in a couple days!
xo
On 18 April 2009 at 5:13 am robbi said,
Fobster; Oh how I agonised over this, to actually be the first to line up a few lines of blog on the otherwise unsullied and ,dare I say it in the same breath as the diety, virginal page. See it were dood, writ large and without typos, so much it do excite me I shall write the word again in caps yet ,two words possibly .PAGE…..VIRGINAL. Wow I surprise my robbi self at times, the heady lengths that I venture forth into the doing of, some would say purely to sate my ego, all truish and right because of fact being, THEY are the fount of all. Have you not heard about ‘they’. Whenever something goes horribly wrong in society the cry goes up, THEY should do summat ! Bus fares have gone up again, THEY should do summat.Far to much poverty amongst zillionaires ,THEY should do summat.Climate change, What are THEY doing about it? As dieties go ‘THEY’ are omnipotent and of course not to be trifled with. I once had two of them living in my house, but then ‘THEY’ became adults in their own right and had to go out and actually earn their own living, which left me free to spend their inheritance.
robbi’s last blog post..ink marks on a blank page Thursday April 8th
On 18 April 2009 at 6:10 am Lynn said,
I love that you call Kelly the roost ruler. And those prayers – straight from the heart! I believe God has a sense of humor and got a kick out of that “pain in the ass” part of her prayer. Yes – prayer is a regular part of my life, but at random times during the day.
Hope camping is/was fun!
Lynn’s last blog post..Good things, the better deal and the best neighbor
On 18 April 2009 at 6:22 am Ching Ya said,
Hi Jannie,
That’s a lovely photo, and the prayer is nice, cute and heart-warming. ^^ Prayer is one of the strongest element that got me through all the challenge everyday. Wouldn’t be where I am today without Him watching over, and I’m grateful for that everyday.
Hope you’ll have a great weekend ahead, and enjoy the camping. See you soon, and thanks for the visit & comment to my little blog.
Take care.
@wchingya
Social media/blogging
Ching Ya’s last blog post..How To Personalize Your Twitter Background with Free Twitter Designer
On 18 April 2009 at 6:43 am G said,
Publishing can be deadly, can’t it?
In any event, always remember that your blog is just that, yours.
You can publish whatever you want on it.
G’s last blog post.."Life Is A Highway" (pt 7)
On 18 April 2009 at 8:24 am jim in austin said,
I thank God every day that I am part of two such fine human beings. Thanks so much….
On 18 April 2009 at 11:45 am cinderkeys said,
I’m not a believer and I thought that story was sweet.
cinderkeys’s last blog post..Our Glass Onion debut
On 18 April 2009 at 12:34 pm Liara Covert said,
Jannie, the innocence and honesty of children are some very heart-warming and life-transforming teachers. Adults often jump to impose their ideas on children as if to imply children do not already have insight into universal, inner wisdom. In truth, external conditioning often cuts human beings off from their own inner knowing temporarily. Why do people snuff out their gut feelings? Perhaps that is one reason humans were given the ability to procreate, raise or interact with children. Over and over again, it is children who open the senses of adults to reconnect with their own truth. It is something only ever temporarily forgotten for the good amnesia can do.
Liara Covert’s last blog post..5 Ways to reframe misinformation
On 18 April 2009 at 5:24 pm Talon said,
Kids do say the darndest things – especially at those moments that are solemn and important. They cut right to the essence…and you gotta love that!
Enjoy your camping trip!
Talon’s last blog post..I took the day off today
On 18 April 2009 at 5:52 pm Cathy said,
i hate that paranoid feeling–it’s happened to me after hitting publish on my blog, too. But I think this is such a lovely post–what wonderful blessings! And it’s your blog AND it’s a free country, so there.
Cathy’s last blog post..Gray Skies
On 19 April 2009 at 12:07 am SnaggleTooth said,
Camping- how convenient!(no internet) Hope you enjoy the quietude.
I laughed at the pain in the A– part- that was funny!
Yes, folks can be offended by Godly discussions, I find. Everyone’s got a slightly different opinion of where religion fits into their life. Some don’t tolerate it, or allow other opinions.
Normally only Thanksgiving dinner gets grace from me, however, I pray daily n more on Sundays. I pray when I hear of the ill who need help, n the recently deceased. I pray alot while driving, n believe it’s saved my A– on several occassionds… recently!
SnaggleTooth’s last blog post..Deck View
On 19 April 2009 at 5:46 am sheila said,
Love the ‘pain in the ass part’…out of the mouth of babes. That’s funny. And innocent.
As for God? Hmmmmm. I think that God is the same in every belief system…it’s just that none of those systems has it completely right. And in the end, we’ll all find out we were wrong and it’s okay. (that we were wrong)k?
sheila’s last blog post..Big Mother’s Day Sale at Aventine Hill
On 19 April 2009 at 9:45 am Paige said,
Great!
Never leave God out when He wants in
Her prayers/grace are beautiful and I’m sure they not only made us (me) smile but Him as well
Paige’s last blog post..Out loud? Can it be?
On 19 April 2009 at 10:41 am kimmi said,
Beautiful, beautiful, post, Janna.
Have a nice time camping.
hugs
On 19 April 2009 at 2:20 pm Christine Gallagher said,
Too cute!
Good for you for hitting “publish”–I know the feeling!
Hope you are having a wonderful time camping!
Christine Gallagher’s last blog post..Ashton Kutcher Hits 1 Million Twitter Followers; Early Adopters Groan
On 19 April 2009 at 3:58 pm Steve said,
She is just TOO CUTE! I’ll take her…
Steve
COMMON CENTS http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
INTERNET RADIO NETWORK http://www.the-irn.com
On 19 April 2009 at 10:14 pm Three Bay B Chicks said,
I like that you have a Funstering Codebook. That really made me laugh. I see that you must have read my handbook too, which states that each blogger should write their own code.
Your post about how your daughter says grace was lovely. My children are still a bit too young to do so, but I hope to make this a part of our nightly ritual in the future. Besides, her referring to a “pain in the ass” is just plain funny.
-Francesca
Three Bay B Chicks’s last blog post..La Vie En Carnation
On 19 April 2009 at 11:54 pm MiaHysteria said,
Loved it the first time. Love it now.
Enjoy camping.
MiaHysteria’s last blog post..Am I YOUR Blogger’s Choice?
On 20 April 2009 at 2:09 am SnaggleTooth said,
I wonder if comments are less only due to the subject matter…or if everyone’s just tonz busy with Spring Fever! (I never get this many comments anyhoo)
SnaggleTooth’s last blog post..GangPlank
On 20 April 2009 at 6:46 am Jannie said,
I’m back from the woods! It was fun. Kind of. See ya later. xo
On 20 April 2009 at 10:07 am wade said,
You write about God in almost every blog. You just happened to mention God in this one.
On 20 April 2009 at 1:09 pm Kim Woodbridge said,
Hi Jannie – “except for the things that are just a big pain in the ass” LOL My daughter has recently started calling our kitten “pissy” even though she has no idea what pissy means. Cracks me up every time and I haven’t bothered to tell her not to say that
Kim Woodbridge’s last blog post..(Anti) Social Personal Developments
On 20 April 2009 at 3:18 pm Chris Edgar | Purpose Power Coaching said,
I found this post endearing, even though I have no idea what that bra-flinging and condom heart stuff is about. I think that’s a testament to the Homeric universality of your writing.
On 20 April 2009 at 8:21 pm Patricia said,
Lovely post and I am glad your daughter says grace…we sing grace when all are home and we have a group of rounds that we like to do…just kind of settles everyone down and we arrive at the table.
The Hindu faith says children are our greatest teachers – I believe that.
I do healing prayer work every evening and our group is very international and interfaith – it is lovely meditation and they only thing we do in common is peace dancing on New Year’s eve….it is a lovely experience and my children loved it. I am sure there are bra flingers in the group.
We asked my youngest to say grace once and she said – “no that is Uncle Dan’s job because he likes to hear himself talk!”
Patricia’s last blog post..A Different Journey
On 20 April 2009 at 8:47 pm joaquin said,
that is both hilarious and awesome.
amen to that, little sister. amen.
joaquin’s last blog post..The Man Who Wished on All the Wrong Things
On 21 April 2009 at 8:23 am Lynn said,
The Atlantic Food Channel has an article within today about blessing our meals. http://food.theatlantic.com/everybodys-a-critic/religious-or-secular-pray-before-meals.php
Quote from author Ezekiel Emanuel: “Surely we should constantly remind ourselves of–and express–our thanks for our privileged position and access to wonderful food. I wish I were more creative and could craft the right words for a secular blessing of community and thanksgiving for food. I am sure some reader will.”
Lynn’s last blog post..Amusing, ambiance and bring it
On 21 April 2009 at 9:53 am Glenn Buttkus said,
My wife still says grace before the evening meal. Somehow breakfast, which is rushed and done alone at our house, and lunch, done likewise on the fly, get skipped. Well, maybe Melva says it and I don’t hear it from a distance. My father-in-law was a minister, so God sits at our table on a regular basis. Two of our daughters spend a lot of time praising Him. One was a missionary for 7 months in Mexico. I, personally, have a bit more of a Zen Unitarian view of the Big Guy, but I also kind of like hearing grace over food. Perhaps you should record Kelly’s prayers, and put out a CD for the Funsters; AN ANGEL SPEAKS–when she is not flipping lip.
Glenn
Glenn Buttkus’s last blog post..Twit-ku
On 21 April 2009 at 9:05 pm Jannie said,
Robbi: Please, no agony here. Ever! So glad you could be FIRST on commenting!! I do so hope you are having fun spending their inheritance — they can always make their own.
Lynn: I know we’re supposed to pray with our eyes open but Jim and I can’t take our eyes off her when she bows her sweet little head and comes out with the things she does. And I imagine God favors you very well, Lynn. I do like to think He has a great sense of humor.
Chingya: God bless you today! I hope you are doing well. It’s nice to think of you staying in touch with God on a regular basis.
G: It’s my blog and I’ll post what I want to, post what I want to, post what I want to. You would post too if if happened to you. (Blogging that is,) Sorry, I tend to find a song in almost everything.
Jim, Dear Jim. That is one of the sweetest things ever! Guess you got so bored while you were away you read my blog! Come back again! And glad I got you believing in God again!!
Cinderkeys: Why do you not believe? I am curious.
Liara: Children are it for sure. You sound like you might be familiar with Maria Montessori’s research? She showed us childern are not empty vessels waiting to be filled but full from the git-go.
Talon: HELLO!! It’s me! Missed me? I’ve missed you! I remember one childrens’ sermon when Kelly was 4 she mentioned “panties” in front of the whole church when the pastor asked what the children thought what kind of clothes Jesus wore. I was scared to go back to church after that.
Cathy: Thanks for the lovely words of letting me know I am not the only one who’s experienced that paranoia post-publish. I feel much better now.
Snag: I love camping but we go in a big school group and quiet is not really on the menu. Still, the nature was glorious. And as to “Some don’t tolerate it, or allow other opinions,” that is certainly true. Same as politics, I don’t bother going back to a blog where my comment is not approved if it differs from their opinion. What are they scared of?
Sheila: I heard some joke once about the Jew and the Gentile getting to hell and realizing they were both wrong. Can’t remember it, tho. It was cute. And darnit – I had somethign else amazing to say but I cannot remember what the heck it was. Maybe I’ll remember later. And come back with it. Oh! I remember! Joe the German said he does not believe in God. But he’s scared of him.
Paige: I do believe God always wants in. But we are usually too wrapped up our wordly stuff to pay Him enough. Speaking for my sinning self, of course.
Kimmi: Thank you, my Dear. Beautiful, beautiful comment. I feel super warm and fuzzy now.
Christine: Another warm and fuzzy maker, thanks. It makes me so happy to hear others have felt the same way. I know there’ll be issues I’ll need to be brave to publish in the future.
Francesca: They will come out with the most amazing things. Like a couplw days ago at a bird blind there were strips of yellow caution tape strung on the outside of the mirrored one-way glass so the birds wouldn’t hit the glass. Kelly said “That’s stupid, Mom – birds can’t read.”
Mia: Thanks. Did you comment the first time? Eeeek, did I leave you out? If I did I’ll slap my self on the buttocks.
Snag: Even if you were my only commenter, ever, I would be one happy, happy blogger. You mean such a lot to me.
Wade: You get the prize for best comment here. What a lovely, poetic things to say. Just beautiful – thank you!
Kim: Oooo, as long as she doesn’t start calling him (or her,) “shitty kitty” like we used to call ours.
Oh Edgar, Edgar, you have missed so much here, my friend! I’ll have to clue you into the bra link. The Grannie one you may search, as linking it brings on my rib pains and flares up my trick ankle. That used to happen to Homer too, you know!
Patricia: I love the idea of singing grace. And love and tolerance for everyone. I wonder what you sing. Oh, and the Uncle Dan grace tidbit is just PRICELESS!! Cracked me up.
Joaquin: My amazing poet friend. It was a pretty cute grace wasnt’ it? I wish I could remember all of them, she comes out with some great ideas.
Lynn: Maybe I should send Kelly’s p.i.t.a. comment to Mr. Emanuel for publication? Thanks, I’ll check out the link after I publish this.
Glenn: I’m sure Klely will gladly oblige with a tape of prayers. She loves the camera. I think the Zen Big Guy is one awesome dude! I thin Unitarian is a great goal.
On 22 April 2009 at 12:31 am Christina Bledsoe said,
I adore kids and this is one of the main reasons, they say the funniest things! I hope you had a great time on your trip
Christina Bledsoe’s last blog post..Kim Kardashian Can’t Read
On 24 April 2009 at 1:54 pm Jannie said,
Christina: Kids are IT!! Well, cats dogs and big people are some of my fav creatures too. But kids… nothin’ like ‘em. I’m especially fond of mine.
On 12 July 2009 at 12:46 pm Holly Jahangiri said,
That’s the God I believe in, too, Jannie and Kelly. Nothing works as well as prayer straight from the heart.
Holly Jahangiri’s last blog post..Alaska: White Pass & Yukon Route, Skagway
On 12 July 2009 at 12:46 pm Holly Jahangiri said,
And pssst…Jannie…she’s adorable. God must smile every time He hears from her.
Holly Jahangiri’s last blog post..Alaska: White Pass & Yukon Route, Skagway
On 12 July 2009 at 1:13 pm Jannie said,
Holly: How sweet of you to comment, thanks! Well, I know God loves us all and made us all special in our own way, but I am kind of baised about that little pistola of mine, my little Twinkle Shooter.