burning like matchsticks in the face of the darkness

Mine as well -- I was having dinner with Alison (age 5) the other night and she had gotten a package in the mail for her birthday (this month). Her mother has a friend, Sister Sadie, who is a nun somewhere who has been a spiritual friend/guide, whatever, and does beautiful caligraphy which I've seen around the house. Anyway, the Sister sent Alison a small icon of the Mother of Perpetual Help (I think that's correct), and a card. I read the card to Alison, at her request, and Sister told Alison that when she felt bad inside she could talk to the Blessed Mother and she would comfort her (or something along those lines.) Since Tina (the mom) was home, I was doing my imitation of background, but is was very entertaining to watch Tina struggle -- cuz how the heck do you explain these things to a 5 year old? Alison said, "will she talk to me?" And Tina said, no, but then tried to think of how to explain it and Alison wandered back to me, having retrieved her beloved Blanky along the way. I wrapped Alison in the blanket and told her that when she felt bad she sought comfort from her blanky, and would feel better, and that if she felt bad when she didn't have blanky, she could pray to Mother Mary, and Mary would comfort her inside, sort of like that, because Mary was always watching over her. I sort of choked because while I have come to value Mary, it is in a very mystical way, and I would never, of my own accord being having that conversation. I would say the same thing, but about God. That's the whole point of Yahweh, in my mind, one can rage and argue and struggle with God, as opposed to the Eastern view where "God" is something very much not a person. And of course, I believe that God is much bigger than anything we can get our imagination around -- but, hey, for a 5 year old, I'm willing to simplify! Anyway, I was kind of proud of myself for finding a metaphor she could understand.
In a "it's cosmic" aside, the book I gave her (in the spirit of Phyllis) is Old Turtle, which is a tale about religious tolerance. Kind of made me smile.