Prayers of the Innocent

"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I shall die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen." This is the prayer my grandmother taught me and my brothers to pray every night before bed. It is a simple and humble plea to God for protection and guidance during the night — a child's trust in God's care, and a willingness to surrender to His watchful eye.

As my siblings and I grew older, my parents taught us additional daily prayers, the most important being The Lord's Prayer: "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."

These memories came alive within me when I first saw this puzzle entitled "Prayers of the Innocent" by Alannah Vincent. The puzzle captures the essence of child innocence and spirituality. Alannah uses vibrant colors and imagery of children in prayer to evoke a sense of purity, hope, and unwavering faith. The contrast of red and black against a bright yellow background symbolizes both the warmth of childlike devotion and the complexities often carried in adult prayers. With eyes closed and hands clasped, the children depicted in this artwork remind us that prayer doesn't have to be elaborate to be powerful.

Completing this puzzle was not that difficult but required focus and concentration — it is rated 3 out of 5 stars on the scale of difficulty. It was quite enjoyable thinking about the Lord and praying while piecing together the children's clasped hands.

I like that Alannah chose to give the children different complexions, which captures the various shades and tones of African Americans derived from our diverse genetic makeup and heritage. The distinction between the girl and the boy — the girl with a longer curly coif, the boy with a shorter tight coif — definitely helped in distinguishing the black color pieces. The contrast between the golden halo behind their hair, the blue background, and their varied skin tones creates a striking, reverent composition focused on innocence, spirituality, and quiet strength.