On this first day of school…

Lord, who somehow loves my children even more than I do –

Thank you – thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you – for a school and community that loves the students only slightly less than each of their parents do.  Whose teachers pray for and with the children each day, hurt for and rejoice with their families as extensions of their own.

Thank you for a place where the staff partners with us the first time through this parenting thing (and the next time through), teaching about and showing the love of Jesus in every opportunity, every subject.

   … and from all of us mamas sending little ones out into the world today, pieces of our hearts taking steps further and further away with each year –

Keep them safe.  Safe in a world where sinful, hurting people take guns into school and touch kids inappropriately… safe from scrapes and bruises on the playground while we’re unable to hold them tight while they cry… safe from the cruel words of other kids.  Safe from the cruel words in their own heads.

Help them be kind to one another and to their classmates, respectful of their teachers, and eager to learn.  Their attitude (ohhh, those attitudes.  Raising girls – amIright?) can make or break them, I know.  I know all too well, because we don’t always grow out of bad ones, but instead have to make choices about our attitudes each day.  Help them to make wise choices.

Grant them the ability to focus and learn – especially those sweet little ones that really, really struggle with it.  Give their teachers patience, especially with the children who are still learning, slowly, to corral and direct their unique spirit and spunk when they need to in order to learn and grow.

Give them peace today.  Even those who insisted their mamas not walk them in (to be honest? It didn’t even sting – so proud of their independence and their support of one another) – let them remember you are with them every step of the way.

Thank you for their imaginations and creativity and energy – even when the combination feels like it might be the death of me.  Please help me to remember how amazing and incredible those parts of them are, and help me help them keep that spirit of dreaming and adventure alive well into adulthood.

Help them be honest and hard-working.  Proud of their accomplishments, but not conceited.  Good sports, because in life – even if not in Kindergarten – not everyone gets a chance to win.

Remind our daughters that they are beautiful.  Period.  Not “in spite of” or “on the inside” or anything other than beautiful, just the way they are.  Remind each child that you created them exactly how they are meant to be, and it is enough.  That they are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Thank you for giving us these precious gifts.  Help us remember every day exactly what a blessing it is, not just on milestone days.  But thank you for the milestone days, too, where we can pause and reflect on how far they’ve come and dream about all they’ll do to change the world.

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