@momofdbb Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. I understand your faith that your dd is up in Heaven, looking down on you, and that you will see her again someday. That hope is also important to me, not for my child, but for all my loved ones who have passed away.

@Vela:  it will come to you in it's own time.  When I moved to AZ, I went to at least 4 different parishes before I found one I liked and felt comfortable with the other parisheners.

@HaileysMom I have many people I will see again , she is just the first I want to see.

@BellaBefana My dd is 18 months old. She's been to 1 funeral with me. We walked past the open casket after the service. Hailey looked down at the body of my adopted grandma and said "NiNi". To her, grandma was just sleeping. I think that at this age it's important that she remembers grandma's life and not her death.

When the cousins came to DDs funeral, the little girl, patted DD o her head smoothed her hair down and said " it's ok now princess, it's all going to be ok now. " she was 3 when she said that.

@momofdbb, now you just made me cry...

Pretty much anything/everything...with the exception of patience, LOL, I've heard you get many tests when you pray for patience, and I have a 3 yo, she tests me regularly!

As a Catholic, I pray for all my loved ones who've gone before me...

Good St. Anthony come around, something's lost and can't be found...please help me find....

I'm Catholic I pray for EVERYTHING!

@momofdbb, no worries, I know it's getting close. >:D<

I pray every night and sometimes during the day for things like the health and safety of my children etc. My dh is on his 3rd business trip in three weeks, so I pray for his safety. My parents were raised extremely religious. Where it was rammed down your throat. You went to church even if you were dying. Because of that my parents gave us a foundation of what they believe (Mom was Baptist, My dad was raised Catholic) and we went to Sunday school at a Baptist church, but when we got older we were allowed to make the choice as to continue going every sunday. I went to Bible camp every summer. The one I went to was only just down the road from my Grandmother's farm and my mom went there when she was a kid. I loved it!!! It did have chapel in the morning and prayers before meals but it was about having a fun, wholesome time as a child. We thanked God for our blessings and talked about His love for us, but no hellfire and brimstone! We swam every day, rode horses, did arts and crafts, water skiied and all of the other fun activities of summer camp, we just talked about God too. I did the same thing with my kids that my parents did. I gave them a religious foundation (my dd6 goes to youth group and loves it) and we go to church at Christmas time. But as they get older I respect their personal decisions and answer any questions they have about mine and why I believe what I do. I do believe in God but not always organized religion persay. I think that God loves all of his children and made us all in His image and we have no right to spread hate, homophobia or racism in His name. :)

I think prayers are always answered, just not always in the way we want or think...the biggest answer I've received is dd...her "becoming" has been explained elsewhere, but it took nearly 20 years for that one to get answered!

@Scholarmom4 Amen!

I disagree with the "Love the sinner, but hate the sin" mentality. It is one of my biggest issues with organized religion.
What is your opinion?

@momofdbb I also believe in signs. The man who was my pastor for 18 years of my life passed away on Father's Day, an I got married the following January. It barely flurried snow on my wedding day, and we all say that it was Pastor Lowe sending us his blessing from Heaven.

I prayed daily for babies when I was married to my XH.  We couldn't get pregnant.  We always wanted two boys.  After about 3 years I gave up, divorce followed and I met my new DH.  I wasn't praying for my two boys anymore but I guess God knew the timing was right and waa-laa twin boys!  I had to laugh because I never specifically prayed for two boys at separate times.  I think God has a sense of humor.  I also thank him for some unanswered prayers!

My faith is a huge part of my life and the lives of my family. I had a very proud mommy moment today when my dd8 told me she wanted to be part of the worship team when she grew up. We go to 9am service and never have the 'I don't wanna go's '
Praying is something I do continually throughout the day.... Thanking him for every blessing throughout the day, asking for forgiveness when needed and blessing and protection when I need those too.
We also pray together before school, at dinner and bedtime as a family. I love that my ds2 can pray 'thank you my Jesus, thank you Lord' every time I say let's go bye bye he asks if we are going to church.

@haileysmom we grew up catholic, both my DH and I. I was given a choice when I got older. 14-20 I went baptist church. Had some major issues with what was going on and left. Didn't go anywhere until I started going to my current church. It's assembly of God. I work in the children's ministry with the toddlers. This weekend I had the most life altering event happen. I went in retreat and encountered God. I am not the same person who went in there on Friday. I have experienced the freedom that comes with turning it all over to God and letting him handle it. To forgive do that you aren't holding yourself back. It was an amazing time!!!!

I want to give my dd the choices I never had. I want her to feel coming to me with anything and everything, no matter what.

@Birdie I like that quote. My mom didn't agree with my choices and held my "mistakes" against me. She still blames my dh because I lost my virginity to him in college, like I'm not capable of making a decision on my own that she doesn't agree with. He's the only person I've ever slept with; I'm not a sexual deviant. My mom even asked me while I was at college without my now dh if I let his best friend "get in my pants".

@Birdie thank you! I was also 21 and starting my 3rd year of college when I gave myself to my now dh. I spent my first 2 years of college living at home with my parents. It was when I transferred to a college 1 1/2 hours away that I finally got my own cell phone. I didn't get a job until after high school graduation. I always had work-study jobs. I spent my student teaching semester living at home with my parents and student teachig at the jr high right down the street from their house.

@bellabefana ??? I need to netflix this!!

@batti and @BeelaBefana I'll have to catch that movie also.  Thanks for the reference @BellaBefana. 

@scholarmom4 exaxtly!