God who gave me children,
give me wisdom in the in-between.
Between the child and the adult,
between the clinging and the pushing away,
between the I love you and the I hate you,
between the we and the me,
between the innocence and the maturity,
between the fearfulness and the confidence,
between the needing and the not needing,
between the staying together and the going away,
in all these vulnerable in-between spaces,
send your Presence.
Fill every chink with love,
every space with compassion.
As my children move into adulthood
and away from the home we’ve made,
give me confidence
in the invisible bonds of love
sweet and strong at any distance.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.