Thank you God, for fresh starts
God bless this brand-new backpack, filled as it is with survival gear
for the year to come.
Bless the pristine paper, the uncreased texts, the pencils whose
erasers have yet to be rubbed raw.
Bless the workbooks and the notebooks, both the three-ring binder
and the spiral variety.
Bless the pencil case and protractor, the sharpener and the
compass.
Bless the thermos and the sandwich bags and the unbruised
apple, gleaming and firm.
Bless all 84 crayons, each with its own contribution to make.
Bless the hands that will use these tools and the minds that will
imagine how.
Bless the hearts that will guide our children—and the ache in our
own hearts as we watch them leave yet one year more.