Deep Thoughts by Carolyn

I found this beautiful prayer that has really encouraged me to think about the kind of home I want to create for my family and me. And I don't mean the four walls and interior decorations (although a house without a flooded basement would be nice). I mean a respite from the world - a place where all of us feel safe to be who we are and loved for who we are, warts and all.

The prayer was written by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle specifically for mothers, but that was too gender specific for me. So, here's my adapted version:

O dear Jesus, you have put us here in the midst of our family.
Help us to love our vocation as parents and to realize that our home is a sanctuary.
Help us to be strong and protect our family from the dangers of the world.
With love and devotion, help us to transform our abode into an oasis of refreshment where our family can retreat from the world.
Let this be a shelter in a hectic and cruel world, cradling all family members in the love within these walls.
Help us to focus on our family, putting one another's needs first before our own.
Amen.