Praying while Washing the Dishes

I love this pair of (I think) men, praying. I know they are praying because it is the way I would hold my hands together in prayer when I was a little girl. I was drawn to the smiles on their faces, I had to bring them home with me. Growing up with the belief that prayer was a very serious matter, there were no smiles. You prayed for forgiveness, or for a loved ones' health to improve, for a blessing. It was a solemn act, to show your pearly whites was an issue. I will never forget the giggle fit, I had with my friend in church, while praying. (I think I was ten at the time and I don't even know what started it) We could not stop, it was the type of giggle fit that you stopped breathing, and when you did find your breath it was a loud inhale of relief (that everyone heard, and gave you a dirty look for lol). My mom silent, although her lips turned up a little, like she was gonna laugh, the priest didn't. And so the association of smiling with prayer was non-existent. My belly hurt, along with my cheeks, I was happy. I felt connected to God, why was it bad? And so, as I've grown older, I have prayed formally, the way I was taught, (no giggling, serious introspection). And slowly evolving to conversations, less formal, more often, connected meditations to God. And that is what prayer truly is, the connection you have with God. And with today being National Prayer Day, I wanted to share my little hook that hangs rosaries off of it, that lives in the kitchen. A reminder that God is everywhere and every connection is meaningful, even if it is just a few words of gratitude while washing the dishes. That every act that makes you a better person for this world, is an act of prayer, a connection to God.