The Prayer Circle

She came over this morning with her two children.
They have all been here before.
I know just the right toys for her children.
There are favorite things that they usually play with when they are here.

This mom is about seventeen years younger than me.
I have walked where she is now walking.
It is a friendship/mentoring relationship.
I glean much from our relationship and I hope she does as well.

The Lord knew what He was doing when He brought us together many years ago.
I have watched her children grow.
They are now 8 and 11 years old.
I remember the youngest when she was sleeping in an infant seat as I taught Bible study.

The 11 year-old brother and 8 year-old sister are quite close.
I enjoy watching them play together.
When I get out the Legos and the magnetic building set, they collaborate on the designs.
They both think out of the box, just like their mom, and I find it fascinating.

They seem to like coming to Miss Gina’s house.
They play while their mom and I talk at my kitchen table.
Two hours will go by and they are still building and designing.
They never tire of creativity or the joy of playing together.

It just so happened that the 11 year-old brother got involved in Boy Scouts.
He was excited about going away to camp for a week.
His dad joined him for a few days because it was his first time away at camp.
It was a father-son bonding time since they both enjoy the outdoors.

That meant that the 8 year-old sister would be home with her mom.
Though she was excited about that, she knew that she was going to miss her brother.
Her brother/friend/playmate would be gone for an entire week.
She and her mom made plans.

Her mom works with the youth at their church.
The youth group was going to the beach for the day.
It was the perfect time for a beach trip while the father and son were away at Boy Scout camp.
The daughter was excited about going to the beach with her mom.

Despite having something to look forward to, the little girl missed her brother.
This creative mom had an idea.
They would make something and give it to their special Boy Scout.
It was on the day he left for camp that I heard the story.

I was in the store getting some milk and I heard, Well, hello, Miss Gina!
This special mother and daughter were in the store, too.
I was in my own little world and never noticed them until I heard my name.
I gave them each a hug and could see that the little girl looked quite sad.

Her brother went to camp this morning, the mother explained.
She gave me a look that only another mother would understand.
Her look spoke volumes.
Her look told me all I needed to know about a sister missing her brother.

It brought me back to my own children.
When my oldest daughter went to kindergarten, her sister was quite upset.
I want to go to school, too!
I’m going to miss my sister! She said through tears.

That sadness was lessened when my daughter realized that she had a brother to play with.
She could be the oldest while her older sister was at school.
She had a brother/friend during the day and a sister/friend after school.
It was the best of both worlds.

I saw that same pattern repeated in each of my children.
They missed each other whenever they were away or gone for the day.
It was sweet to watch.
It helped them bond with each other and to this day they are all very close.

At the store that day, the mother explained to me about the present they were making.
They were making a prayer circle.
They intended to give it to their special Boy Scout before he left for camp.
When the mother reached in her bag to give it to him, it was not there.

She looked everywhere knowing that she just had it that morning.
Her daughter was quite upset; this was something for her brother to have while he was away.
Her brother left for camp without his prayer circle.
The mom and daughter planned to look for the prayer circle when they got home.

I asked the mom today about the prayer circle.
I wanted to hear the rest of the story.
Oh, we found it, she said.
It was in the hallway at home; I must have dropped it as we were leaving for church.

Her son was standing in my kitchen; his sister was resting her head on her mom’s shoulder.
So how did you get your prayer circle? I asked him.
He looked at his mom and smiled.
We mailed it to him, she said.

What is a prayer circle? I asked really wanting to know.
Someone just learned how to crochet, she said stroking her daughter’s hair.
She made a long crochet snake, which I coiled into a circle, her mom explained.
We prayed for him as we made it; we prayed for him when it was all finished.

Every time he looked at it, we wanted him to remember that we were praying for him.
He was smiling ear to ear.
I could see that the prayer circle was very special to him.
I could see that the prayer circle brought home a little closer, even though he was away.

It was such a simple gift.
It was made with love.
It was bathed in prayer.
It was a reminder that even though he was away, he was covered in prayer.

May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.
(Genesis 31:49)

This mother came up with a tangible idea for her son.
This small gift, made with her daughter, showed her son how much they love him.
This prayer circle was something he could see and touch.
It was an physical object that exemplified a spiritual truth.

Are there any creative ways you can show God’s truth to another person today?