A grieving prayer, and an answer...

One early morning last week I woke up feeling the sadness again. The sadness that has almost been forgotten: the sadness of leaving Portland. Leaving friends, leaving church, leaving city that we love. I got up and wrote and cried for awhile. 

I think that it came up again because there is yet another transition creeping up on us. Leesi is almost done with school. Come next year we won't be sending her to the same school anymore. Right now we are driving twenty minutes each way twice a day so that she wouldn't have to change schools halfway through the school year. But next year she will be attending the school that is just a short walk away. 

Here is part of what I wrote that early morning:

I think about the fact that Leesi will change schools next year. She has a little friend at her school now. Her name is Juliana. She is a little shy and quiet just like Leesi. One time when we were walking into school, Leesi and Juli saw each other and fell into step with each other. Then they slipped their little hands together and walked into school holding hands. Leesi loves Juli. They sit at the same table in the classroom; they play together every recess. When I think about Leesi starting over again at a new school next year, I feel as though all the air has been pushed out of me. ...

I know you have nothing but good plans for us. I know we can rest in Your goodness and love. Thank you ahead of time for helping Leesi through this transition to a new school. I pray that you will prepare a new friend for her at her new school. I pray that somehow we will be able to keep in touch with Juli over the summer.

A few days later this is what happened:

We had never met Juli's parents, since Juli doesn't get picked up after school but stays for after-school care. The day I wrote this, I mentioned to Leesi that we should send a note to Juli's mom about having play dates over the summer. We forgot to do it, but the very next day Leesi came home with this note from Juli's mom: "Would you be interested in getting the girls together for a play date either Friday or Saturday afternoon?"

Yet again, God's goodness to me (and Leesi).