Praying for Those Heading Back to School

Loving God, we ask your blessing on the parents and caregivers of these students
as they return to school.
Parenting and caregiving requires different time and effort in pandemic times.

 we thank you for parents and caregivers who support their children as they return to the classroom, virtually at home or in person.

We thank you for friendships renewed and new contacts made.
We thank you for teachers met and opportunities shared.
We thank you for the learning that will happen and the life skills
that will be tried and tested.

                                                excerpted from a prayer by David Sparks

This is an auspicious and, for some, an unsettling day as school resumes in Ontario. On my cycle home from the gym this morning I stopped to speak to the crossing guard at the high school I've waved to often. He was in an electric wheelchair today and I asked after his health. He has some issues but he wants to work, despite the pandemic. 

My brother, semi-retired, is rssuming his gig as a schoolbus driver. He stopped in the early Spring when vaccinations were just getting underway because he had children who wouldn't wear the masks as mandated and he didn't feel safe. Many boards are struggling to find enough drivers to supply routes. 

One of my multidinous sisters-in-law begins teaching today, a virtual class which will have students from across her schoolboard, those whose parents have decided not to have them return to the classroom. 

Our two nearby grandchildren have been back to French school for a week now and all went well. They were in class, traveling by bus, for months last year and the protocols were excellent. They are happy that this year the outdoor recess rules are less stringent. And our four-year-old grandchild was to start JK today but her parents are exercizing caution initially because their are strident anti-mask, anti-vax parents in their rural area. Who needs the drama of tense encounters during the first days of school.

So many are affected by the pandemic as what was once a routine aspect of Autumn has all these permutations and concerns. While it's undestandable that some are anxious, the interaction of the classroom and the development of friendships is essential. 

The United Church website has prayers for students, teachers and caregivers as school commences, and we can all pray, formally and informally for health in body, mind, and spirit in the days ahead. 

Loving God, we ask your blessing on these students as they return to school,

as they renew friendship, the blessing of laughter and shared news.

                                   excerpted from a prayer by David Sparks

                                                          The School Yard Molly Lamb Bobak c.1939