Father, today marks the birth of someone who greatly influenced my early years, as well as the lives of many other children throughout the world. And while he’s no longer with us here, the legacy he left behind continues to inspire, educate and delight those who read his works. I’m of course speaking of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known by his pen name of Dr. Seuss.
While he made a point of not speaking to any one religion or group in his writings, his messages of tolerance, understanding and peace were obvious and recurring themes in the books he wrote. Through whimsical characters, engaging stories and tongue-twisting rhymes he made learning fun while passing along the underlying positive messages to his young audience. Even as an adult, I still get a smile reading his stories.
The one published exception to his self-imposed rule of not writing works with obvious religious connotations came in a full-page, full-color article in the December 23, 1955 issue of Collier’s Magazine, where he wrote “A Prayer for a Child”* :
“From here on earth, From my small place I ask of You Way out in space: Please tell all men In every land What You and I Both understand . . .
Please tell all men That Peace is Good. That’s all That need be understood In every world In Your great sky.
(We understand. Both You and I.)” – Theodor Seuss Geisel
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts this man brought to me and to so many other children. While his words may not specifically carry Your name, Your Light shone brightly through his works all the same. Amen.
~Phather Phil
*The poem and image used are Trademark and Copyright of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P.
To begin with Father, I want to thank You again for yesterday. As You told me it would be when I woke, it was a good day. 🙂
Today Lord, I’d like to focus my prayers on my wonderful wife Shannon if I may. As You know, she’s been on my mind even more than usual the last few days. The past year has been an amazing transition and growth year for her both personally and professionally, but in that same respect her workload has increased and changed from what she’d been used to for so long. From being a stay-at-home mom and part-time assistant at a Christian Preschool she now :
– Has a job as a full-time Preschool Teacher with a full class of four-year-olds at a school she loves, surrounded by people that encourage and appreciate her.
– Has started taking college courses to further her education in Early Childhood Development.
– Plays viola for the Dover Symphony Orchestra and a private quartet that does weddings and parties.
– Teaches violin, viola and other instrumental lessons to a number of children in the area.
And on top of that Father, she always finds time and energy for her loving husband and two little boys. I am indeed Blessed to have her as my wife, my best friend and the mother of our children.
When I first heard the song “Dancing in the Minefields” by Andrew Peterson played on K-Love earlier in the year, I shared it with her and we both immediately felt a connection to the message it contained. It’s been running through my heart a lot the last few days, so I thought I’d close the week by sharing :
Heavenly Father, You’ve bestowed upon me the most amazing gift any man could ask for; a true soul-mate in life. I thank You for such an undeserved Blessing, and pray that You continue to shine Your Light through her eyes and her heart. Amen.
Thank You Lord, for starting my day off so pleasantly this morning. I always like waking to the sound of Your Voice in my head, especially when the message is “Today is a Good Day”. Well, it’s just after lunchtime here now and so far it truly has been as you prepared me; A good day. 🙂
In the beginning of the year Father, You gave me a word to focus my energies and prayers on. It wasn’t a word I would have chosen sans Your intervention, but You were quite insistent at the time as I remember so I adopted it as my own. The word was Accept.
Today Lord, I thought I’d discuss a couple of the ways “our” word choice has impacted me thus far, and presented itself in my life.
The beginning of “The Serenity Prayer” comes immediately to mind Father :
“God, grant me the serenity to Accept the things I cannot change…” – Reinhold Niebuhr
As You know, this has always been a rough one for me Lord. Many of my most significant upsets have come from situations which I have little or no control over. With Your help, I’ve been working on this flaw in my character and I can honestly say that we’ve made some progress. I still have more than a few stresses in my life right now, but I’ve learned to better Accept those things which I can’t fix and focus my efforts on the ones I can make positive change in.
Along those same lines Father, I’m learning to Accept assistance more readily from others as well. I’ve always prided myself (I know… another nasty word, but we’re making progress on that flaw too.) on being reasonably independent, but through my journey to You I’ve realized that You put us all here together for a reason. When I can help someone, I should but I also need to be open to Accepting help from others as well. It’s still a struggle sometimes for me to show that vulnerability, but I’m happy to say that barrier is lower than it used to be.
Needless to say, I now understand why You chose this word for me. I obviously have some significant room for growth and Acceptance appears to be the key to much of that.
Heavenly Father, thank You for continuing to Guide me in Your Grace. I am but clay in Your Skillful Hands, eager to be molded into a form which can best serve Your Will. Amen.
Today Lord, while “Stumbling” through Internet sites focused on Christianity I came across a prayer in the form of a poem that really caught my attention, made me think and warmed my heart. Doing some quick research, I found that it was written by a lady named Joanne Gobure and the original title of the piece was “A Beautiful Prayer” :
I asked God to take away my pain.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away,
but for you to give it up.
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a by-product of tribulations;
it isn’t granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No.
I give you blessings.
Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from
worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own,
but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life,
so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others,
as much as he loves me.
God Said…
“Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.”
May God Bless You,
“To the world you might be one person,
But to one person you just might be the world.”
…Lots to think about and pray on here Father. Thank You for putting this in my path today.
Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father! Once again Lord, You Blessed me with a lovely couple days respite filled with family, good food and good friends. Thank You so very much for that time!
Well Father, today we celebrate Valentine’s Day. While the true origin of this holiday seems to be clouded by historical variations in the chain of events which formed it, today we observe it as a day to focus on and express the love and affection we feel for those we’re closest to. In addition to the amazing love You’ve shown me directly Lord, You’ve also Blessed me beyond words by surrounding me with a significant number of loving, caring people…
And at the center of this group, is my wonderful wife Shannon.
I see Your Light in her in so many ways Father. She’s my partner in every respect; A true soul bonded to my own with whom I can share my innermost self without fear of judgment or rejection. She’s a phenomenal mother to our two sons, and has proved her mettle and devotion to our marriage and our family time and time again. She’s been the anchor when I’ve been adrift, and the harbor when I’ve needed rest and comfort. She gives of herself freely to help others in need, and brings her loving spirit to all that she does. She’s the first person I think of to share my joys, and as You know, the focus of many of my prayers. I am a much better man Lord, with her by my side.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” – Ephesians 5:25
Heavenly Father, I thank You for Blessing our Union as Man and Wife and for seeing us through the trials we encounter along our journey together. Please continue to let her feel the warmth of Your Loving Embrace, and watch over her throughout her days. Amen.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
