Letting Go By Tally Flint, mom of four

I always looked ahead to the start of preschool and grade school with anticipation for my kids. I couldn’t wait to see the exciting things they’d learn and the way their worlds would change forever because of it. But I never thought about how hard it would be to send them off without me. What if they need me when I’m not there?  

"May God go with you,
and work through you, today
and in all days. Amen."

A dear friend of mine introduced me to a prayer she says over her children as they are about to walk out the door for the day. She holds their hands in hers, and says, “May love and strength be in your hands.” She places her hand on their hearts, saying “May love and courage be in your heart.” She touches their heads and says, “May love and wisdom be in your mind.” And finally, she closes with, “May God go with you, and work through you, today and in all days. Amen.”

Just four little lines, and yet they express so well the concerns of my mother-heart. I want to hold my kids close, to protect them and to lead them to right choices. But as they grow, this becomes increasingly unrealistic. And so I turn to God to protect them, to guide them on their way and to bring them home to me again. It’s a difficult habit to get into, but the more I do it, the more I remember that God’s arms are the safest place for them anyway.

Dear God, be with my child always. Give me your peace and assure me that my trust is well-placed in you as their protector. Amen.