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By Betsy Ore Glass

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. – Psalm 91:11 NIV

It is that time again. Summer is coming to a close and it is time to buckle down for a new school year. I remember fondly the days of trying to understand my kids’ bus schedule, shopping for their back to school clothes, getting them fresh haircuts and packing their new backpacks with all the essentials. In my memory forever is the day we drove away from college, leaving our freshman daughter behind. I was more traumatized than she was! My neighbor put her oldest child in first grade this week. I understood her tears. These rites of passage tug at the heart.

It won’t be long and fall pumpkins will appear on doorsteps, the weather will chill and first report cards will be issued. Soon, refrigerators will be plastered with artwork from the little ones; and older students will start science projects with boiling lava that will dominate the dining room table for weeks. Chorus concerts and school plays will be added to the calendar, too. It goes by fast. W.B. Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” How true! We want our children to be on fire to learn. To press forward with enthusiasm at their new discoveries and to spark an interest that develops into a lifelong passion. We as parents must instill in our children the knowledge that school is a place of opportunity and adventure. A place to learn, discover and try new things on for size.

Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. – Proverbs 23:12 NIV

But it is sometimes hard to let our children leave the nest for the big world. I wish I knew then what I know now. We can pray for God’s Protection over our children all day and all night. Now not a day goes by that I don’t ask God to watch over my children and their families. Psalm 91 is a Psalm of Protection and sometimes that is what I will read as my prayer for them. It is just as important as a good breakfast, getting to school on time and doing homework . . . in fact, it is vital that God hears our prayers for them asking that no weapon formed against our children will prosper. There will be bumps on the knees, visits to the clinic, hurt feelings and the occasional brush with the class bully, but it is our children’s hearts and minds that we are praying for, as well as their physical protection. And we might add to our prayers a blessing for the teachers. They are truly special people with a heart for our children and education. They deserve our appreciation, gratitude and support for all they do as teachers and important role-models.

Betsy Ore Glass has long-standing ties to the Outer Banks. From Virginia Beach, her family bought a vacation cottage in the 60s and her love of the area began. Later in the 90s, Betsy and her husband bought a weekend cottage and introduced the area to their children. Then Betsy’s parents retired to KDH where the family gathered often. Reach her at betsyglass1@gmail.com or read additional Reflections at www.betsyoreglass.com.

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