Do you remember praying as a young boy?

Like I mentioned before, I really enjoyed my PSR classes and remember learning different Catholic prayers - the Apostle's Creed, The Our Father and Hail Mary. I was very diligent at learning and praying my Rosary and would say one every night as a young boy. I enjoyed it and felt a closeness with God. As I got older, I remember feeling a little disconnected from God and having questions about why I needed to go to confession and ask a priest to forgive my sins. Confession was not difficult but it felt hollow to me and I remember asking my Mom if there was a way for me to just go straight to God and cut out the middle guy....she laughed at my question but said that I could always go straight to God and talk to him at anytime. The very first time that I can remember praying directly to God and having Him hear me was on December 31, 1979. It was the night that I got saved and accepted Jesus as my own Savior. I can take you to the exact spot on the floor where it happened and can always give you a verbatim account of that evening. It is forever etched in my memory and is something that I will never, ever forget. More details on that later. I can also remember kneeling beside my bed at night and saying my "bedtime" prayers with my Mom. She would come into our rooms and say them with us. I remember laying in bed and having her lay down beside me as we prayed. Maybe she did that when it was cold? The memory of her laying in my bed and snuggling with me is pretty vivid as I can feel her with her arms around me....Her arm tucked under my head and holding me close to her as we recited prayers together. Our Father, Who art in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

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