my parents are in heaven

we never went to church as kids, both of my parents had faith that is for sure. it's a poor excuse but we were poor and nice clothes were not in abundance. my mom would read to us from the bible from time to time but not often. my dad was the hardest working man alive and if he was not working he really needed the rest on sundays. my parents considered themselves baptists so that's what i figured i was. at 13 i started going to a methodist church with a friend, i really liked it and was baptized and became a member of the church. the youth group was great but i started seeing all of the money that was going through the church and it became apparent that money was important, a little too important and i started feeling like a second (or third) class church member so my attendance faded and finally became not at all. i never felt missed. later at around 16, i started going to an assembly of god church with my older brother and i liked it quite a bit also. but i havn't been to church in years. i'm getting away from my intended thought like i usually do, this was supposed to be about my parents.
i still have the bible story books for children that my mom got for us as kids. they are in my daughter's room so i guess that makes them hers now. she has gone to church some but at her age if your parents don't make you go it's kind of up to what your friends do. the other day she was on the computer filling out a profile of herself and she made a point of adding that she was a christian. i can't say i had a hand in that, she is just a good kid on her own. it's amazing what god will put in your heart. there are only two prayers that my mom taught us that i remember, they are simple like we were and is something you can't forget no matter how old you get. "now i lay me down to sleep, i pray the lord my soul to keep, if i should die before i wake, i pray the lord my soul to take" and then you would bless everyone you cared for and of course end with "amen" also there was the blessing for supper, "our kindly, heavenly father, thank you for these blessings and all others, for christ's sake, amen" they were simple and short and we didn't use them near as often as we should have but they are a good place to start. my mom died in 1985 and my dad in 1988. after my mom passed, my dad would read the bible every night before he went to bed. you would not know this unless you stepped in to say something to him or to just say goodnight. he knew where my mom was and i think it made him feel closer to her. he was reading the bible i received when i was baptized. i hope to see them again someday. wouldn't that be something.