Somewhere along the lines I have managed to lose my prayer etiquette. In my "old life" I would never have struggled to keep my eyes closed during a prayer. In fact it never really occurred to me that you could just leave your eyes open during a prayer. It just isn't done. The very thought of opening my eyes during a prayer made me uncomfortable and even a little queasy. But that has changed, every since I had Boston I have suddenly lost the ability to keep them closed at all. I am always keeping one eye open to make sure Boston doesn't take off under the pews or dump his snack or run away or start hitting the person seated next to us or or or......
You get the idea. These problems have only magnified since we had Scarlett. Holy crud did that kid get mobile fast. A couple of months ago she got away from me at church and was two pews up before somebody caught her and handed her back. With the both of them I can't even pretend that I am closing one eye anymore. It is both eyes wide open all the time.
So here is the trouble, even when I don't have the kids I can't keep my eyes closed. I teach the third hour and Boston is in nursery and Scarlett is with Andy. I have no reason to keep my eyes open. Yet I just can't seem to get them shut. Has anyone else noticed this? Am I the only one that is stuck in a wide eye prayer habit? As soon as I catch myself doing it I hurry and slam them shut and try to focus on the prayer, only to catch myself gazing around the room again moments later. There is a reason you close your eyes, it is much easier to actually listen to the prayer when your eyes are closed. When you are busy looking at people's dresses and hair and what color they painted their nails it is easy to lose track of the prayer and get nothing from it and then find your self scrambling to offer you amen as you realize the prayer has come to an end while you were lost in dream land.
So I am have some work to do. I must bust the habit and regain some self control and show a little respect. So if you are ever around me during a prayer and you see my eyes open, hit me.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
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6 comments:
OK - So I TOTALLY have the same habit. And I've thought about it a lot too... Only thing that works for me is to stop when they say "prayer" and try to REALLY focus. Hardly happens. Good to know I'm not the only "sinner". Ha!
Hey, I found you while hopping about the blogosphere!
I can't close my eyes all the way because I am too afraid one of the boys might do something crazy. It is a mom thing!
Greg and I would love to get together. Just let us know what times you are available!
I do the same thing, but it is to watch Leslie. I am always needing to make sure she isn't eating all of the food on the table before the rest of us can eat. I don't know where she puts it, but it goes somewhere. I think she has four stomach's.
LOL. This is the funniest thing I've ever read. I'm a friend of Andy's from high school (and, yeah, that's the last time I saw him). I saw your blog title on Kiersti's side bar and had to click on it. Hilarious. You have a new blog fan...(oh, and I don't keep my eyes closed either. Funny how little boys do that to you...)
I open my eyes a lot during prayers, but I don't have any kids for an excuse. One time I noticed that both the priest at the sacrament table and the 2nd counselor in the bishopbric had their eyes open--the counselor was even writing something. So at least I wasn't the only one!
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