The Battle of the Blessing

Thank you Father
Thank you Father
for our food
for our food
Now we ask the blessing
Now we ask the blessing
Amen
Amen

This is just one of the many blessings Jack has learned over the past 3 years in preschool. And since he was about 3 years old, Jack has been the Chief Giver of the Blessings at our dinner table. And he has relished this role. For the first couple of years, he would chose from his repertoire and sing us a sweet one. This past year, Jack has grown to understand the concept of 'captive audience' and thus the blessings have grown in length and breadth. Some of these original blessings have been spiritually enriching; he has thanked Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins, he has thanked God for Heaven and letting us live there one day with Jesus, he has thanked God for loving us. On the other hand, we have also given thanks to the good Lord for numerous animals and their habitats and diets, a favorite ride at Disney World, or a funny show on Noggin; a bit less virtuous. We even have had addendums to blessings in which we had to actually thank God for our food (Mommy and Daddy just don't appreciate poetic license).

Jack has bestowed upon himself another title...that of The Blessing Police. While everyone else at the table must assume the appropriate reverent posture (head bowed, eyes closed, quietly listening), Jack remains, eyes opened, surveying the table, and will stop the blessing to announce the slightest infraction, and then the blessing must begin again from the very beginning. This can make for a very loooong wait if we are in one of his creative, free-flow-of-thought blessings.

So one night this past week, Jack begins the blessing and then we hear "Tank ooo Ah-der, Tank ooo Ah-der, Tank ooo Ah-der, Ahh-men, Ahh-men". And Will has the proudest smile on his face as he has just completed his first blessing. Well, you can just imagine the outrage of The Blessing Police. First, the interruption; Second, the unsolicited blessing; Third, a party who remained oblivious to or unaffected by the corrections of said police. Jack's eyes were buggin' out and I could see smoke coming out of his ears. So Jack makes a second attempt at his blessing, and undeterred from the recent scolding, Will begins again, too, "Tank ooo Ah-der, Tank ooo Ah-der...".

I would have laughed out loud at the comedy of the situation if I hadn't been digesting my own liver because I was STARVING. I finally had to force Jack to complete his blessing over the singing of his little brother. And although he was very put out about this, he complied by shouting his blessing (I am sure the Lord, who I know has a wonderful sense of humor, was thoroughly enjoying this scene!). And realizing this shift in power, Will doesn't eat a single bit of dinner because he is too busy continuing to sing "Tank ooo Ah-der Ahh-men" over and over again (ya know, just to rub salt in the wounds). I don't think any food that I have ever eaten has been so blessed. Truly, we were on holy ground that night. And I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised to look over and see a burning bush right there in my kitchen.