The Thumb Prayer

Summer and late bedtimes go hand in hand in our family. It seems after the long dark winters, the long hours of light in the summer are truly appreciated. The winter ritual of reading piles of bedtime stories fades and in its place comes kickball - mom and the kids against dad, still he wins every time. Boat rides, evening swimming, weeding the garden and just taking advantage of the light and going for sightseeing drives makes for some late nights. A little embarrassing to admit, but sometimes the kids skid into bed with dirty feet, unbrushed teeth and prayers unsaid. Those are the nights to use the thumb prayer. I first read about praying with your thumb in Saintly Celebrations and Holy Holidays: Easy and Imaginative Ideas to Create Your Own Catholic Family Traditions. Then I Googled thumb prayer and found a site that briefly touched on the idea. The premise is to use your thumb to make a cross on the palm of the opposite hand. When you are just too tired to use brain power to pray, the thumb prayer can be done. I encourage my children to think Jesus on the down stroke and Thank You on the cross stroke. I've also witnessed my son thumbing his chest at night, which is quite soothing and meditative. During church, I often thumb the palm of my three year old, encouraging him to do the same to me or himself as a method for keeping quiet and focused. Often times simple is better and nothing is simpler than the repetition of the thumb prayer.