United by separation

The lump in my throat was enormous. I couldn't imagine the pain she felt when they told her he couldn't stay with her. The pride she'd felt only moments before. Seeing his beautiful face and knowing that God had given her the awesome task of being his mother. Just as he is, his image is burned in her mind. There have been many before him, and many will come after, but this is her son. How often do such joy and sorrow meet? The way she felt her heart swell when she drew him close and kissed his cheek, and the way she felt it burst as she watched them take him away. The questions unanswered must cloud her mind. When will she see him again? What will his condition be at that time? Does he know how much she loves him? Does he feel her prayers for him? She is reminded that this will be the trend for the rest of his life. She will continually have to entrust his well-being to the Lord. She has done all she can do to keep him healthy and safe, and now it is out of her hands. She must hand him over to God. She can love and pray for him, and God will be his guide. These are the feelings I had today after my friend Kristina gave birth to her son, Jackson, and he had to go to the NICU. The thoughts were specific to a mother being separated from her newborn baby, but as I pulled into my driveway after coming home from the hospital I noticed banners and signs on my neighbor's house. The banner read, "Welcome Home Casey!" There were multiple signs in the yard that read "Happy Halloween Casey", "Happy Thanksgiving Casey", "merry christmas", "happy birthday", etc, etc, etc. American flags flew proudly from the yard, yellow ribbons tied around the trees, a soldier coming home. A mother reunited with her son. Much time has obviously passed since he left. At one time she, too, had stood proudly and watched him go away. She, too, wondered when, if, and how she would see him again. She, too, had known that many men had gone before him, but he was her son. Her boy. A prayer rings out from my heart tonight as the knot in my throat tightens even now....Please Lord....show us how we, as mothers, can release our children to you. Grant peace to the women who sleep tonight away from their sons. Make light the sorrow that burdens their hearts. Make brief the time that they will be apart. Make joyous the reunion that you have already planned. This is how I felt.