What I Pray For
A worried parent once confided in me, "I pray that my son is not different from the other kids." I was genuinely confused. Mind you, I pray daily for my children. I light incense from India, where my family is from. I chant Hindu and Sikh hymns. I pray for my children's health, joy, wisdom, character, resilience, and peace of mind not to mention immunity from heartbreak, immortal pets, indefinite teenage metabolism, and improved capacity to put dishes in the dishwasher. It had never occurred to me to pray for them to not be different.