Missing Them

A prayer for travelers and parents separated from their children,

Dear God,
the sun has set again and I am on a journey that takes me far from home.
the days begin and end without familiar laughter and anxieties
ringing through my halls.
I am in strange hallways, with unfamiliar sounds and signs,
and I have more than once looked for familiar faces in the crowds.

You have blessed me with a family, showered me with people to share life with.
You have given me a new heart and new youth in their living strong.
You have fashioned each of them to be expressive, beautiful friends,
creative and loving, full of compassion and righteous scorn.

Help me to live in the journey of missing them.
Help me to hear their heart beats on the wind.
Help me to sleep and dream of the laughing faces
giggling at my foolish thought that we are apart.

Help me to rest in the knowledge that our hearts beat as one,
as we all are in your heart and held close as we all venture into new worlds.

Amen.