Back to School Prayer

I just felt like writing my prayers tonight on the eve of the first day of school.

Lord, please help my mid higher this year. She enters a new school. It's big. Friends will be far and wide.  Things will change. She can already see it, sense it, and has begun to accept it. Help her to stay true to who she is when others conform to add friends to the list. Help her find her inner voice and to notice who notices her. Help her to notice others and be the hero once in awhile, for another child who might be inclined or happy to blend into the woodwork. Help her to keep running for her own goals, and not feel pressured to live up to someone else's expectations.  Help her find her outer voice.  If not, guide her to listen to others and be their rock. One more year until she is a high schooler. Please help her to stay focused through the sea of gulls all trying to find their way. Please let her talk to me.  Whisper in her ear every now and again and remind her that mom will always listen.  Whisper in her ear how wonderful she is, anytime she doesn't feel cool enough, fast enough,  smart enough,  or ever just not enough.  

Lord, help my 4th grade boy. He is excited to wear his new leather shoes tomorrow for the first day. He laid his clothes out. He packed his backpack.  He is ready.  Help him meet and make new friends.  Perhaps he can have a few really good ones who will stick by him into the future years.  Help him be confident in his talents. He is so funny. Help him channel his humor....censor it, if needed.  When he is challenged, guide him. Maybe a voice in his head, planted ever so carefully, could remind him to persevere when he "doesn't know" or thinks it "too hard".  Present him with opportunities to shine.
Also, he stutters a bit.  Please calm his speech, or give him some witty comebacks for the kids who point it out ever so nicely.  Let him have some succeses...no, not just some...lay down the success train for him.  Plant those successes in between challenges.  Fill his heart with calm. Calm his anxieties. Whisper in his ear..."You can do this. "

Lord, my oldest daughter needs you too. You and I know how far she has come.  Her grit, when times were tough, make her stronger than ever.  Thank you for whispering in my ear that it would all be ok. Thank you for reminding me that you got this and she is in your hands.  She is talented, smart (and it shows in her grades again with mostly A's), and she is a caring friend.  She wants to do it all this year.  Help her reach her goals. Guide us through preparations for post high school. Calm my anxieties as she flys further from the coop. Thank you for helping us keep communicating,  speaking the truth, forgiving each other, and for strengthening our bond.  Please continue helping her be a safe and cautious driver.  Shield her from distractions and guide others on the road around her.  Oh, and did you see her jump right back into the pool and swim away? Of course you did. Anyway, she was nervous,  but she conquers her fear and gains more confidence each time. How impressive is that?  Help her to feel a comfort zone and give her courage to jump out of that zone into a new uncomfortable, yet growth ridden challenge. Whisper in her ear how proud we are of her and the woman she is becoming.

Lord, help me to stay focused this school year and guide me to a new adventure if it's your will.  Help Ken and I make the right parenting choices for those 3, most precious gifts.

Thank you for whispering in my ear that I am loved despite all my faults and daily failures.  

Amen.