Prayer in all things

Last period of the day.
Only one more day (half of which is a field trip) to go until Thanksgiving break.
Substitute in for my co-teacher (who was out at a conference).

I would have expected chaos.

But we had the total opposite...

Ideally, it would have been very appropriate to do a Thanksgiving-themed read aloud. Alas, the book I wanted to borrow from my sister was the exact one she was using today...so I turned to plan B.

(Sometimes, you gotta LOVE plan B.)

As the students sat on the carpet, I set the tone by explaining that we were going to read Granddad's Prayers of the Earth, and then I explained how I would guide them through a meditation prayer exercise. (I ordered the book through Loyola Press's Pray Me a Story series.)

The story tells of a young boy who is very close to his grandfather - they go on many walks together, and the boy asks many questions. One day, he asks his granddad about prayer, and the boy's granddad goes on to explain over the next several pages how every part of nature, from the tallest trees to the rocks to the water to the animals to (even) humans, prays. The years pass, and the boy and his granddad share many walks and much time together. When his grandfather passes away, the boy loses touch with prayer - he can't hear it anymore, and he feels far away from his grandfather. (At this point, I was holding back tears - I knew it was coming, but it's like the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" - it gets me every time.) But one day, he finds he can hear the prayers again, and so he prays and finds his grandfather's presence is nearer.

I read. They listened.
I guided. They meditated.
I gave the discussion over to them. They raised their hands and took turns sharing their own connections, responses, and stories.

For 2:00 in the afternoon, I couldn't have asked for more. Actually, given any time of the day I couldn't have asked for more.

This book should be a part of every classroom library - it is such a beautifully told story (with illustrations to match). It serves as a reminder of how we should strive to hear the prayers that are all around us all the time. In fact, it almost made me think the story had been written by a Jesuit because it invites its readers to find God in all things.

Plan B rocked our classroom. And we continued the rest of our reading period in peace.