“‘Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord my soul to keep. Angels guide me through the night, and wake me with the morning light. Amen.’ That one, that was a pray we said, that we learned as children, and then that was what I had you guys say also.”

“So, do you know where that came from?”

“No, that’s been around forever and ever. I think mom used to say it when she was a kid.”

“So how did it end up on that blanket, or whatever it was that was in my room?”

“I, I don’t know. I just now saw that blanket somewhere.”

“Oh, you didn’t make it, you just found it?”

“No I think someone gave it to us as a baby gift and I just painted, I think I painted it. I don’t remember.”

“Wait so did they know that you used that prayer? Or was it just a coincidence?”

“Uh, I think it was a coincidence. I would guess the origin is a Catholic prayer.”

“Almost seems too uplifting to be a Catholic prayer.”

“But, ya know, their belief in the, that everyone has a guardian angel to protect over you. So I think that it was special for children.

Since as far back as I can remember I’ve said this prayer before going to sleep. I’ve never been particularly religious, but it has just always been something to do, like a ritual. In a way this kind of mentality in approaching religious, or any, tradition keeps them alive. However, this also minimizes, and maybe even trivialize the meaning of folklore.