back to school again

I am now what I would have thought was an old, experienced pro back when my babies were just starting kindergarten; a seasoned parent, having sent kiddos off to school for their "first day" for years.

But being here, my 6th year of having a "first day of school", I feel anything but.  I still cry each time they leave.  I still yearn for more time with my kids.  I still miss them when they're gone.  I still worry about how they're doing, what they're feeling, if they're making good choices, if they feel alone.  I still wonder if I made the most of the long summer days I had with them at home.  I still mourn that they are getting older and older and their years in my care are getting fewer and fewer.  I still contemplate homeschooling them because I want more time with them.  I still think about them every moment of the day.

But here we are, sending them off into 3rd and 5th grade.

I pray with them and for them often - that they will be good friends to others, that their eyes and ears will be attentive to needs around them, that they will be respectful and self controlled in their classrooms, that they will have opportunities to share joy and love, that their hearts would be wise and discerning.

They know to Whom they belong.

I pray they will find great security and value in their identity as God's child.

They know their purpose.

I pray they will live it out every day as they learn to love, serve and care for others.