"Now I lay me down to sleep."
This simple prayer, I learned by rote,
and though it echoed in my mind,
my childish heart took little note
until one misty morning when
I overheard my mother pray.
Then my heart took heed and listened
to the words she had to say.
And I watched her through good times
and bad, and understood, at length,
the Secret of her cheerfulness
and the Source of her great strength.
"Twas then I called upon the Lord
to help me day by day,
to live the faith my mother lived
and, in her manner, learn to pray.
~Lounell Whitaker~
