In the fertile soil of you
I can't believe the hopes He's granted
Means a chapter of your life is through" *
When I was a senior in high school I remember crying at the "last" everything. I'm not sure what got into me, but I know I drove my mother crazy. I was very active - there were a lot of lasts! It seemed the dirge was never ending and I had an endless flow of tears. I find it oddly comical now. I know my son will be sad about leaving his friends, but they seem more grounded in their departure than we were nearly 40 years ago.
At least they did until this moment I caught the other night at their Spring Choral Concert. I did not take many photos. It was hard to hold my camera and wipe my tears at the same time. However, when the whole group + alums fanned out to sing "A Parting Blessing" and I managed to dry up, I noticed a few tears shed by the singers.
This song is beautiful and painful. It reminds me of the song my youth group sang when I was a counselor, "Friends" by Michael W. Smith. We would sing this during our final Midweek Youth Group meeting each year as we said goodbye to our seniors. There would not be a dry eye by the end. Even my toughest teens would melt. It is a reminder of both the love we shared and a love that endures. I wish for both of my sons, friendships bonded by God.
The lighting during the concert was miserable, yellow, spotty and everyone seemed to be partly lit. What I like about this photo is the mood or the story, rather than the technique.
A Parting Blessing, by J. Jerome Williams
May the road rise to meet you;
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
May the rain fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Today's Photo: Forever Friends
"And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
'Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long
To live as friends"
* Friends, Michael W. Smith
EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 800
110mm
f2.8
1/125s
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