COVID-19 2020: A Mother's Prayer

I initially wrote this after 911, almost 20 years ago. It's so hard to believe its been that long. Now it's so relevant to the current pandemic crisis, so I thought I would run it again.

A Mother’s Prayer

September 11, 2001

By Anne Leedom

Lord, as I lay my head on my pillow tonight, what shall I pray for?

My nightly prayer for my children’s safety,

Love in my life, and good health seem wrong as my heart fills with guilt

Knowing thousands will not be able to pray tonight with their loved ones

Only echoes of heart wrenching goodbyes remain.

My prayers should be for the brave and the dead,

For the families and their losses and for the frightening times to come

Lord, what should I pray for tonight?

What shall my children’s prayers be today, Lord?

Do they pray for their parents and be grateful for all they have?

Should they know to pray for babies who will never hold their mothers again

For fathers who will never watch their children

Grow to be strong and happy adults?

Should their hearts be filled with heartbreak

So they can pray for the hearts of the world?

Lord, teach my heart a prayer filled with wisdom

A prayer to reach out to others

While cherishing what’s still mine

A prayer that will help me find peace in my world

Yet to be touched by the horrors that await.

Lord, help me to know the suffering of those who have lost

Give me the words to calm my children’s horror

As they see the world for the first time

With fear and uncertainty, pain and terror

Mommy can’t make it all better this time

My little one says as she looks in my tear stained eyes

Lord, show me the way to see the light through the darkness

Give my children hope

Help me as I read to my child and sing her to sleep

To remember what we still have

And not pass my terror on to her innocent heart

What shall I pray for tonight, Lord?

Copyright, 2020

Anne Leedom is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of www.parentingbookmark.com. She has been quoted in national print including Parents, Redbook and Nick Jr. Magazines and NPR. She contributes regularly to online publications and lives in Northern California with her two daughters. She is also the Founder of AnneLeedomPR.com, a premier agency promoting authors, coaches, speakers and others who utilize her services to expand their media platform.