The page was pretty,
sparkly gold on dark blue
(which are of course
the California colors, too).
The letters were odd shapes,
not easy to read.
The words were peculiar.
They thought I would need
Mother's help to understand
what it was about.
I needed it. Got it.
We puzzled out
the words the church lady
had stencilled with care
on dark blue paper,
called "The Lord's Prayer."
Photo from Google--definitely not the handmade wall art a friend had given Mother. Mother's friend used a style of lettering that was popular at the time, inspired by the look of Hebrew letters. The poster above was offered for sale on Etsy but the vendor and shop are no longer there.
According to the Bible, when Jesus was asked to teach his followers to pray, he said "After this manner, pray," and said words that have been translated into the English words shown above. The prayer is also called "the Our Father" or "the Pater Noster" (Latin for "our Father").
This childhood memory comes from when I was about four years old, when we were living in Folsom, California. The National Poetry Writing Month prompt asked for memories that participants felt reflected something about the adults we have become. I think this is my first specifically Christian memory. I grew up to be a Christian.
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