Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Liliana has had some trouble focusing during her bedtime prayers lately. I've tried several things including having her kneel with me, and keeping her hands clasped together. Still, she is tired, and she gets wiggly and silly. This is normal for her age, but I still want to impress upon her that prayer is important and that we want to show God respect by not using silly voices, etc. I had to get tough tonight and insist she do a good job on her prayers or I would assume she was too tired to have a story read to her.

She did a really good job, and seemed to have her eyes fixed toward the heavens during her prayers. Impressed that she had stayed focused, I thought perhaps she had actually seen an angel or was at least looking for the divine in her ceiling. Instead she told me she was staring at a picture she had colored and taped high up on the wall.

Seizing this moment (as parents must do) I told her that she might sometime see Mary. She was immediately interested, and wanted to know if she could see her "real". I told her the story of Bernadette and the miracles of Lourdes, and how Mary had appeared to the children of Madjegoria, impressing upon her that children sometimes can see things adults cannot.

She thought about this for a moment, then decided that she really wanted to talk to Mary and ask her to bring her great-great-grandma back.

Jim and I were puzzled by this, not knowing about whom she was speaking. She explained that her great-great-grandma was the one we planted flowers at her grave (on Memorial Day) and that she really wanted her back.

The drama of a 5 year old almost always needs translation. Lili doesn't remember my Grandma, but it seems she's been thinking a lot about the concept of a grave site, and she doesn't like it. We explained that it is okay to miss people when they have moved on, that Grandma is in heaven, and is very happy.

"I could die and go see her." she said.

"Well, yes, I suppose, but we don't want you to. I don't think you need to worry about doing that for a very long time."

This seemed to satisfy her, because she immediately went on to an elaborate plan to have Mary over for dinner. The menu will be spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread.

Before going to sleep, Lili asked, "Who is Mary's husband?"

"Joseph," I said.

"Oh, right. We have to ask him if it is okay for Mary to come to dinner. No, wait, we will ask Jesus. He's the magic one."

Indeed, Jesus is the magic one.