As a child every night before be I would kneel and say:
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. Amen.
As an adult I have a problem with this. I don’t think children should be sheltered from such realities as death but to hyperfixate on them night after night in our times is too negative. Perhaps this was once appropriate during times of plagues but today I think there needs to be another variation. Perhaps the stuffed animal Amy is playing with has the answer:
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
May angels watch me through the night
And keep me in their blessed sight. Amen.
