The Praying Chair

There is a story behind this chair. It originally belonged to my mom's best friends' mother. Her name was Eula Gray Neely, and her daughters, Joyce & Linda, who have been Mom's best friends practically her entire life, gave it to Mom when Mrs. Neely passed away. Mom put it in her house and I loved sitting in it because it was so worn and comfortable. When I had Logan, Mom gave it to me to use as a rocking chair. I rocked Logan in that chair every single day and patted his little bottom until he would fall asleep or we both would.
After Logan grew out of the rocking phase I gave the chair back to Mom, but I always missed it. I recently begged her to give it back to me so I could put it in my craft room.
She finally brought it back to me a few weeks ago, after we measured the door to make sure it would fit into the craft room. We had to take the door off and put it back on, but we got the chair in! I immediately threw a couple of Mamaw's quilts over the back and voila - a comfy rocker to sit in my craft room and think up ideas, or look at scrapbooking or quilting magazines, or read, or watch the new TV that Artie put in there for my birthday.
However, the chair has taken on a new purpose. I sat down in it one night because I wanted some privacy to read the Bible and pray . It was right before school started back, because I remember praying for Logan to have a good year and for us to be wise in guiding him. I know the traditional way to pray is on your knees, but as I sat there in that chair and prayed, tears began to fall and I had one of my most earnest, heartfelt prayers in quite some time. Logan came in to say good night. He is accustomed to finding me in the craft room around bedtime, and he didn't think anything of opening the door to say good night. When he saw me crying he asked what was wrong. I told him I was just praying and he told me good night and went on to his room. Later that week, he found me in there again and asked, "Is that your new praying chair?"
From that time on, that's how I began to think of the ol' green chair - as the praying chair.
I sit there & rock and think of Mrs. Neely and how she must have sat in that chair and prayed for her daughters and her husband, who was a preacher. I think of Mamaw as I lean back into her quilts and how she used to pray for all of us (mostly me because I was clearly her favorite!{grin}) I always find solace in my craft room, but especially in that worn, comfy old chair. I imagine that chair has heard a lot of prayers over the years. Now it's hearing mine.