May 6, 2007

Clay Nelson

Pooh’s Prayer for the Blessing of the Teddy Bears Service

Dear God,

As you know I’m a bear with very little brains. Since I’m stuffed with fluff, I’m not sure I know how to pray to you. So I asked my friends for help.

Piglet was very concerned that I not pray wrong. He wouldn’t want me to make you mad. But I told him it was OK. A God who gave us the Hundred Acre Wood to play in and heaps of bees to make honey had to be very nice. So I thought to myself we should thank you for the wonderful world you have given us full of so many good things.

Next I asked Rabbit to help. He said he was the very best person to ask to do something so important, but he didn’t have time because all of his friends and relations were coming for dinner and he hadn’t done the shopping yet. And I thought that maybe caring for those we love is a prayer. So we want to thank you for our family and friends and ask that you help us always to be loving and kind to them.

As I thought about kind things parents, teachers, and friends like Christopher Robin do for us, I bumped into Eeyore. I said, “Good morning.” He asked, “Is it?” I said, “Yes, I’ve been asked to write a prayer for St Matthew’s.” “That’s nice, I guess,” he said. “Can you pray for lost things.” I said, “I guess, what have you lost?” “My tail,” he said sadly. “My thistle breakfast doesn’t taste very good without it.” “Oh, poor Eeyore,” I said, “I will help you look for it.” Perhaps prayer is doing something to make things right. If so, you answered our prayer. We found it at Owl’s house. He was using it for visitors to ring his doorbell.

Since we were there I thought I would ask Owl how to pray. I told him I wasn’t very sure if I was praying with the right words because I didn’t know any long ones yet. He told me I was right to come to him because prayer is very important. He told me using the right words is difficult and spelling them correctly is even harder, but the best prayers don’t use words at all. That answer made my brains hurt. I wondered if humming a little hum would be a good prayer? He thought, “Maybe.” I remembered hums I hummed about going on an explore to find the north pole or looking for heffalumps or pretending to be a cloud. Owl thought humming about being curious, doing new things, and using my imagination sounded like pretty good prayers to him. If so, maybe I’m a pretty good prayer hummer for a bear with very little brains. God, I’m glad you like hums.

Just as I was wondering how long a prayer should be because I was getting a little hungry, Tigger bounced by so I asked him. He just kept bouncing with a big smile on his face. “Oh, bother,” I said but then I just had to laugh at how much fun he was having just being himself. I thought to myself is loving and being myself a prayer? I think may be it is, so I’m going to finish this prayer so I can start a new one by having a smackerel of honey. Praying sure makes my tummy rumbly. Eating honey is what I do best and what I enjoy most. I asked Christopher Robin if it is OK to thank you God that my honey pot is full? He just hugged me tight and said, “Silly old bear.” Amen.