I used to spend hours praying.

I would take long walks alone with the sun on my face, taking time to watch the leaves falling, or the clouds moving into different shapes above me. I would watch as birds flew and bunnies played. I was truly thankful for the world around me.

Then I had a baby.

She would go for walks with me. She was a very good baby. She would quietly sit in her stroller and enjoy the sun, the leaves, the clouds, birds and bunnies. It was all good. I talked to God and she sucked gleefully on her pacifier.

Then I had another baby.

She would scream to be held after the first 50 feet in the stroller. My prayers were interrupted with pulling her little fist away from her sisters’ long blonde hair. I saw some birds, prayed a bit, held the baby and walked.

Then I had another baby.

I got sick.

I couldn’t leave my house.

I prayed in the middle of the night when the baby would not sleep. I remembered the bunnies, birds, clouds, and leaves as if they were a far off dream. A few years of recovery for me, along with caring for a 3 and 4 year old, and an infant who was often sick and had many delays, shifted my prayer life from long enjoyable walks to frequent and urgent cries to God for Help.

Now I am at a phase in my life where things have calmed down a bit. The girls are 10, 8, and 4. We go for walks together and they show me things I would have never noticed on my own. I can see the world through their eyes, and their perspective has given me a whole new view of God and the world around me. I love our walks together.

They are so much better than walking alone.

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Michelle is a full time stay at home Mom of three delightfully spirited little girls 9, 8, and 4. Her husband is a pastor of a large church, and their lives are anything but normal. Follow their adventures on her blog!