Letters to Heaven: Growing Pains

"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." Abraham Lincoln

October 30, 2011

Dear Jesus:

Here I am, early on a Sunday morning, sitting in my Sacred Garden while spending a few minutes with You. I'm a bit preoccupied. It's always about the kids. This time, it's Alex. The first area of concern is his grades. As usual, he starts the year strong and then begins to drop. He got a 35 on a Physics test. Right now, he has a C in Physics and Math. I'm not going to waste any more time. Tomorrow, I'm hiring a tutor to help him.

The second area of worry which to me is more important than the first one, is that once again, I feel like he's isolating himself. I'm not sure how he's at school because I'm not there to see it. I know that he has friends and he shares with them. He goes to the football games and he enjoys it. The problem is on the weekends. While his friends are at parties, movies, and other activities, he's home alone. What has happened to my popular and outgoing boy?

I was hoping that he would find a group of friends through the Youth Group, but he already told me that they are a bit too intense for him. Please, Jesus, You were the one that led him to the Youth Group. Please, help him not to be turned off by it. Right now, it's the only social outlet that he has. I know that at 16, too much of You is scary. Help him to find the spark that pulled him in the first place.

Please, Jesus, help me not to be such a big worrier. Help me to trust that You have a plan in mind for Alex, and that You will take care of him. I know that You always guide him in the right direction. You showed me this when you led him to the Youth Group.

Jesus, show me what it is that I need to do. I know that he has to endure the same growing pains that his siblings went through, but it's so hard for me to go through it again. I don't want to be too pushy but by the same token, it's not in my nature to sit back and do nothing.

Please, Jesus, take care of our Alex.

I love You, Jesus!!!

October 30, 2017

Dear Jesus:

If only I had trusted You more, and worried less, I would not have wasted so many precious hours of sleep. Yes, I had concerns, but I allowed them to escalate into unfounded worries. Alex turned out perfectly fine. He had his moments... but all in all, I worried for no reason. He has plenty of friends, he's as social as can be, and always has something going on.

He had his hiccups both in high school and college. Growing pains, I call them. He needed to go through them to get to where he is right now. In less than two months, he will graduate. He is actively looking for a job, and lo and behold, I'm not worrying about it. Wow. It also took a lot of growing pains for me to get to this point. I have no doubt that You have already found him the perfect job, and it will land at his feet at the right time. I trust You completely because You have shown me time and time again, that You are in charge.

I know, without a doubt in my mind, that You are taking care of our Alex.

I love You, Jesus!!!