Description

Bedtime Prayer by P. Buckley Moss

Content & Subject

Bedtime Prayer is a rare, signed, and numbered limited edition lithograph from the One Girl Collection by P. Buckley Moss. It portrays a young girl kneeling in prayer before bedtime, framed by delicate pink floral scrollwork. At her side is Moss’s familiar cat companion, emphasizing warmth and constancy.

The prayer, written in Moss’s own calligraphic script, reads:

“Dear Lord,
Please make the bad people good,
And the good people easy to live with.”

Meaning & Artist’s Intent

Unlike the traditional childhood bedtime prayer, Moss chose these words for their honesty, simplicity, and wisdom. The prayer is both childlike and profound—it acknowledges the challenges of human nature while expressing hope for kindness and harmony.

Through this piece, Pat conveys that:

• Faith is practical as well as spiritual—it shapes the way we live with one another, not just how we think of heaven.

• Children often express truths with clarity—their prayers reveal wisdom uncluttered by adult complications.

• Humility and compassion are at the heart of daily life, aligning with Moss’s lifelong focus on community, family, and gentleness.

Style & Symbolism

• The kneeling girl represents childlike trust, purity, and humility.

• The presence of the cat—a familiar symbol in Moss’s work—emphasizes loyalty, companionship, and comfort even in moments of quiet devotion.

• The pink floral border creates a sacred frame, almost like a protective embrace, symbolizing both love and divine watchfulness.

• Moss’s calligraphy of the prayer draws the eye upward, echoing the child’s own prayer rising heavenward.

Meaning of the Prayer

This bedtime prayer is a classic Christian children’s prayer, simple in its words yet profound in its meaning. It reflects:

• Trust in God’s protection during the vulnerability of sleep.

• Peace in surrender, entrusting the soul to divine care.

• Faith as comfort, allowing even a child to feel secure and unafraid.

Through Bedtime Prayer, Moss communicates her own deeply held belief that faith, family, and tradition are foundations of peace and strength. She once explained that prayer was both a reminder of gratitude and a way of connecting generations—something that tied parents, children, and grandparents together in shared devotion.

Mood & Inspiration

The piece radiates gentleness, reverence, and security. It captures the tender ritual of prayer before sleep, a moment of stillness that reflects Moss’s lifelong focus on celebrating humility, family, and spiritual grounding in her art.

Pat’s Message

Moss often believed that art could guide the heart toward gratitude, kindness, and reflection. With Bedtime Prayer, she reminds us that spirituality isn’t always lofty or complicated—sometimes it is as simple as asking for peace in our relationships and for goodness in the world.

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✨ Commentary for Collectors: This work reflects Moss’s belief that prayer was not only about faith in God but also about nurturing human kindness. It captures her view that art should uplift, heal, and remind us of the values that hold families and communities together.

Placement & Gift Ideas

Bedtime Prayer is especially meaningful for:

• A child’s bedroom or nursery, as a reminder of innocence, comfort, and faith.

• A family prayer space, reinforcing the tradition of nightly devotion.

• A gift for parents or grandparents, celebrating shared traditions and values.

• Collectors of Moss’s One Girl Collection, adding a spiritually resonant piece to the series.

Each lithograph is signed and numbered by the artist and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Canada Goose Gallery, embossed with our gold-seal gallery label.

1991

Rare Art Print

Image Size: 18 x 4-1/2 inches. Paper Size: 23 x 9-1/2 inches.