Faith & Spirituality

by Ninong Francis · 2 min read · 1 view

Every night before bed, Jeyvee's Ninong taught him something simple: before you ask God for anything, thank Him for something first. Most kids Jeyvee's age said thank you for the usual things — a good day at school, a nice meal, a favorite toy. Jeyvee, being Jeyvee, made his thank-you list entirely out of animals. "Thank You for Buttons, and for his new puppy," he'd whisper, eyes closed tight, hands folded the way his Ninong showed him. "Thank You for the ducks at the park, even the one that stole my chips. Thank You for the cat next door, even though she still doesn't really like me. Thank You for making so many different kinds of creatures instead of just one — dogs AND cats AND birds AND fish AND even the ones that creep around at night that Lola doesn't like." His Ninong asked him once why he thanked God for animals every single night, out of everything he could be grateful for. Jeyvee thought about it seriously, the way he thought about everything involving animals. "Because nobody made Buttons say thank you to me for helping him," he said. "He just loves me because I love him first. I figure that's kind of how God loves us too — He doesn't wait for us to be good enough. He just loves us, and hopes we'll love Him back, and love the things He made too." His Ninong didn't have much to add to that. It seemed, honestly, like Jeyvee had figured out something that took most grown-ups a lot longer to understand. So the list grew longer every night — new animals, new small kindnesses, new reasons to be thankful — and it became, without either of them planning it, Jeyvee's own quiet way of praying: not with big important words, but with the honest, overflowing gratitude of a boy who noticed God's creatures everywhere he looked, and never once forgot to say thank You for every single one.