Dear God, Thank You For Train Rides and Frozen Yogurt.

Prayer is a part of Kaiden's bedtime routine. Even though he is still young, I want to display what an active relationship with God looks like and prayer is great way to model that. I try to keep it short and simple so that he can understand but I want him to see that prayer is not a rehearsed set of lines, rather an ever-changing dialogue of gratitude, request and praise. Tonight we thanked God for several things...frozen yogurt, grilled cheese and train rides (amongst other things -- restored health, time with my mom, etc.) After our prayer time, I started thinking about how silly it may sound to thank God for frozen yogurt or train rides, but the reality of it is it's not silly at all. We are privileged to live in a country that offers such rich comforts. Frozen yogurt is not essential to life and yet today we were able to experience such a sweet treat. At the same time, there are so many across the globe who will never taste the tartiness of this cold dessert. Perhaps their only desire is to have drinkable water. There are so many whose child will never feel the thrill of a kid's amusement park ride but perhaps their only desire is for their child to simply feel freedom. Why God placed me or my son to be born in this country, I will never know but I do know that I felt humbled and grateful to have experienced all the luxuries we did today. By American standards, we may be far from successful or wealthy but today I truly felt rich...because on a global scheme, I am.  It's my prayer that I never take the non-essential, seemingly-little things for granted...and I hope that when Kaiden is old enough to understand, that he can share in this appreciation too."So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31