September 3, 2007
Dear Mama Mary:
This weekend we took Rafi to Princeton and left him there. We thought it would be harder but with your help, we survived. I even left without crying. Of course, I know that I will see him again next weekend. This week, he is camping in the mountains of Virginia. It's tough because I won't hear from him at all, but I feel at peace with the knowledge that he's under your care and protection. Please, take good care of him and keep him under your watchful eye as he hikes through the Shenandoah National Park.
I want to thank You, Mama Mary, for helping me keep my sanity last week when I had so much to do and I felt like I was drowning. Thank You for giving me the strength, the comfort and the peace that I needed to get through the week. This week should be easier but I still need to buy and pack a few items. Please don't abandon me. I can do anything with your help, but without You, I'm lost.
Thank You for taking care of Chabeli and Alex while we were gone. Mama Mary, it's so comforting to know that my children have a Mother in Heaven who always looks out for them.
Please protect Rafi as he starts his new life away from home.
I love You, Mama Mary!!!
September 10, 2007
Dear Mama Mary:
Today is Rafi's 19th birthday, and for the first time since he was born, I'm not spending it with him. This weekend, Rafe and I went back up to Princeton, and we finished getting him settled down. Parents had to leave on Saturday afternoon. We left to New York with a knot inside our throats, and holding our tears inside.
I won't look back because I know that the decision we made is the best choice for him. It was a selection made through prayer and discernment. I know that Jesus guided us to help him pick the right university. I trust that Jesus will take him by the hand and guide him, just like I trust that Rafi has the values and the foundation to choose correctly when he is faced with difficult choices.
Today, on his birthday, I entrust him to You, Mama Mary. Please guide him, protect him, and take my place by his side when he needs to have a Mother nearby. Please keep him safe while he's so far away from home.
I love You, Mama Mary!!!
September 3, 2017
Dear Mama Mary:
It's been ten years since Rafi left to college. Last week, Alex returned to UConn to finish his last semester. I pray for your intercession and your protection so he has a smooth end of college experience. As You well know, our college decade was rough and stormy.
When Rafi was about to leave to college, a friend sent me a poem. Today, I want to share it with all my friends whose children are away from home:
A Parent’s Prayer When Children are Leaving Home
Gracious God,
you blessed me
with the gift of my child
and entrusted me
with his/her care.
Now he/she leaves this home
and begins a new life
apart from me.
Surround him/her
with good people
and watch over him/her each day.
And let him/her know that I will always be near
whenever he/she may need me.
Heal any hurts we may harbor with one another
and forgive our failings as we learn
to be in a new kind of relationship with each other.
And when the sight of his/her empty room
pierces my heart with sadness,
may I find comfort in knowing that my child is your child too,
filled with your grace and sheltered by your love. Amen.
(By Diana Macalintal)
The sight of their empty rooms still pierces my heart, but knowing that they are under your watchful eyes, Mama Mary, has made the separation a lot easier.
Please, continue to watch over my children each and every day. Even though in the world's eyes they are already adults, to me, they will always be my babies.
I love You, Mama Mary!!!
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