Susan LaffertyThe art was hidden by the crowds that walked through Mangal Bazaar that day in Islamabad, June 1997. Then I saw it. One particular painting drew me in. Maybe it was the camels. Or the street scene reminiscent of Karachi. In the mix of muted and bright, the blue dome of the mosque caught my eye.
I remember the day it hit me. Specific prayer for my teen was a much more effective way to persuade her to do something. Words seemed to have little effect. Even triggered resistance. And created a rift between us, making matters worse.
But silent prayers by faith—with a sincere heart—brought change in a way my parental speeches had not.
And praying changed me. Helped me consider what was true. What was necessary. Brought back memories of my own journey in adolescence.
This experiment was a process. And led to a few practices that paid off in building relationships with our teens.
The lines were forming to board several Air Asia flights out of Penang. I asked the woman behind me if this was the line for Singapore. Yes. She was also going to Singapore. She asked which seat I was in. 18B. Her seat? 18A.
Once we boarded, I found out she was traveling to visit her brother and sister who are now Singaporean citizens. I was going there to overnight with our daughter before heading to the US.
In further conversation, we talked about the weather and she said, “I like cold weather.”
In this tropical country? “Where do you go for cold weather?”
“London,” she said and shared that her other sister had lived there until her sudden death from cancer the year before. I told her I was sad to hear of her loss.
