Elizabeth ran and jumped up into her bed as her Daddy came into the room.  Elizabeth loves it when her Daddy tucks her in at night!  He is so tall and strong.  He is the best daddy in the world!  She can ask him anything and he knows the answer.  With only the night light on, her room has a nice warm glow to it.

“Daddy, did you help Mrs. Potato Head put the veil over the cross at church for tomorrow?  She likes you to help do that because you are so tall you don’t need a ladder!”

“Yes Elizabeth.  Tomorrow is the first Sunday in Lent and all the crosses at church are veiled.”

“For 40 days, right?”         

“That’s right, until Easter morning!” her Daddy said.

“Why is it for 40 days?” asked Elizabeth.

And Mr. Mawakasunga explained how it was that after Jesus was baptized (Jesus was baptized as a grown up) that He went out into the wilderness for 40 days to pray.  While Jesus was out there he was alone, except for the wild beasts . . . . and the angels who watched over him.

“Jesus said a prayer for 40 days?” said Elizabeth.

“I expect that sometimes he wanted to stop praying and go back to Nazareth to see his friends again and to have a big dinner, but instead Jesus ate no food and continued in his prayer.  That is why we have Lent for 40 days.  Lent is a time when grownups read the Bible more and they say their prayers more often.  Because we want to copy Jesus.  Because everything that Jesus did was good to copy.

“I don’t think I could say a prayer for 40 days.” said Elizabeth. 

“I don’t think I could either.” said Mr. Mawakasunga.  “But we can say our bedtime prayers now can’t we?”

So Elizabeth closed her eyes and said this prayer:

Dear God, Thank you for a good day TODAY.  GOD BLESS MY MOMMY AND DADDY AND BARABAS AND RUNNING CHAIRS AND SAM AND ALL MY FRIENDS.  AND HELP bARABAS’S DOG REX GET BETTER.  (Elizabeth peeked her eyes open and whispered to her daddy “He threw up today.”)

and then Elizabeth closed her prayer with “help us to be more like jesus.  amen.

Mr. Mawakasunga kissed his wise daughter goodnight and tucked her in.  He checked to make sure her night light was plugged in right.  Then he quietly closed the door and stepped out into the hallway.  And he smiled.

THE END

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