Pāhonoa te oro

Her family lived in a modest house with a leaking roof and creaking wooden doors. Her mother was a devoted Christian woman who prayed constantly. Every morning before sunrise, her mother would kneel beside her bed and whisper prayers. “Lord, protect my children. Guide them. Keep them from the temptations of the world.” Lilian would often roll her eyes and pull the blanket over her head. “Mama, you pray too much,” she would say. Her mother would smile gently. “One day you will understand.”