Praying Them Through It

Our son was dismissed early from school yesterday due to illness.  He's staying home today, too.  Body aches, headache, cough.  General yucky-ness.  Yes, the back-to-school "crud" has hit.  It's early this year.  For goodness sake, we haven't even locked up all the windows for winter yet!  After he got home, I hit the grocery store for all of the meds. that I usually stock up on...    I don't know, sometime MUCH later in the school year, usually.

Today, our daughter walked to the bus stop alone.  Sad, sad, sad.  She's already sad enough to be awake at this hour! -- but to walk to the bus stop alone, and know that her brother will not be (somewhere) at school "with" her... super-sad.

Sometimes as a mom, I have to numb myself to my kids' sadness/nervousness so that I can lovingly nudge them out the door... pushing them out of the nest, as it were.  And then, I pray them all the way down the street to the bus stop.  I pray them through the bus ride, and into the school building.  I pray them through the speech that they have to give in marketing class.  I pray them through math tests -- and so much more.

I pray them through the things that they are nervous about,

and the things that they should be, but aren't.

Our daughter is still adjusting to public high school after homeschooling.  She is still adjusting to early mornings. After she walked out the door alone, the thought crossed my mind that I should've reminded her about this verse this morning:

"So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

And as I thought about God holding my daughter's hand throughout the day, I also thought how glad I am that he can hold mine at the same time.  Sometimes a mom needs a little help along the way, too.