August 21, 2006 @ 3:11 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized

…but not broken.

Every year, for as long as I can remember, I’ve prayed with the boys each morning before they’d leave for school. Not a long prayer, and never elaborate.

I’d just ask God to watch over our family, guide the boys through their day, help them with their schoolwork, and bless their relationships with their friends and with their teachers.

All summer long I’ve wondered what this morning would be like. The first day of school and Nate is not here to join our prayer circle in the living room.

I was often tempted to ask him if he wanted to "phone in" and join us via Cingular. But I’ve been trying so hard to give him some space and let him discover his own identity and independence.

I know it’s important for him to set his own routine in regards to his walk with God and it’s needful for him to now establish his own boundaries.

That’s a tough thing for a Mom to accept, believe me!

I shouldn’t have fretted though.

Nate called at 6:45 this morning and wanted to know what we were doing. I filled him in on the little details of our morning and we chatted a bit.

"We’re about to  pray. Do you want to stay on the line while we do?"

There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation. Instead there was honest-to-goodness relief resonating across the line. For real.

"Uh, yeah. That sounds like a good idea. I’ll stay on the line."

And so the four of us prayed. Almost like normal.

Except now, one of us lives three hours away.

But that’s the wonder of families, isn’t it? Distance is only as far as the hearts stray.

The way I figure it, if I can keep this family praying together  – even if those times become a bit more sporadic as time goes on – then I feel certain this circle will remain unbroken.

This Mom is counting on it.