Dear God,
Promise me. Promise me when she leaves this house,she will find somebody wherever she goes that sees how special she is.
Promise me she will have friends. That she will be happy. That she will smile.
Promise me she won't need me. That she wont cry for me. That she wont be injured.
Promise me she will be as protected away from me as she is with me.
Promise me the world will see her the way I do. That they will see her beauty and her spirit.
Promise me she will not be harmed.
Promise me, promise me.
I know. I know, God. You can't.
But my heart is so tender. There is a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. There is her hand in mine- and it is so small. There is her head on my shoulder and her heart beating next to mine.
I've held her, Lord. I've held her every single day since she was born. I've kissed each booboo. I've wiped her tears. I've loved her through every sunrise to every sunset.
I have given her all of me. And it seems like it is ending...in some small way.
I won' be her everything anymore. And I won't be her best friend. And I wont be her only teacher.
I will be mommy. I will not be everything anymore.
Her world will grow larger with each day, with each new friend, with each lesson she is taught. And my place in it will shrink, just a little.
And this hurts, Lord.
It just...hurts.
But her is the thing I carry with me. The thing I know to be most true.
You love her infinitely more than ever could.
You treasure her too.
You see her for the precious creation she is.
You look at her with the eyes of a father and a Savior.
And you can go where I cannot.
So Lord, I cannot ask you to promise me she will never be hurt or never need me.
But I can ask that every step she takes, you take with her. That every experience she has you use for her good. That your hand is over her and protects her.
That your love for her goes where I cannot. This is all I ask.
She will cry. She will miss me. And she will long for her home and her family. Hold her tender heart.
She will be uncertain and unsure. Help her to be confident.
She will look out the window of her classroom, just as I look out the window of her room. And her eyes will fill. And she will feel lonely. Help her to be strong.
I trust you, Lord. I trust you with her heart the way I have trusted you with mine.
Walk with her Lord...beyond the schoolroom doors until I can hold her again.
