For the last two months, or so, our bedtime routine for Oliver includes the reading of, at least, two books. If the books don’t do it, we’ll sing a couple of hymns. If the hymns don’t cut it, we’ll bust out another book. And if that last book doesn’t work, I toss him in the air for a bit. And if that doesn’t work, I tell him about my day. That usually does it.
Tonight, while going through Richard Scary’s Please and Thank You book and Go, Dog. Go! I realized that I’m getting better at speaking in the liturgy because of my reading. When you read the stories like I do, you like to include commentary and additions (you know, poetic license) to the text – which requires the additions to be spoken in funny, and very up-tight and pretentious voice. I caught myself today, while sharing the Thanksgiving at the Font during the Baptism of Oliver’s friend Logan, thinking about Go, Dog. Go! and bedtime reading. So far, parenthood has been making me a better presider, which is something I didn’t expect.