Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!
Today Father, my heart grieves for the mother of one of Your Children who lost his battle with cancer yesterday, and has left us to join You in Your Kingdom. His earthly trials are over Lord, and he triumphs in Your Presence, and for that my heart rejoices. His mother, family and friends however have a piece missing from their lives that will mourn his passing nonetheless. I pray for Your Healing and Comfort to all those missing Dorian’s light today Father, and ask that You keep them in Your Loving Arms so they may know the joy he’s experiencing with You now.
Searching for words of comfort Lord, I came across a poetic prayer written by Edgar A. Guest that touched my heart so deeply that I wanted to share it here:
A Child of Mine by Edgar A. Guest
“I’ll lend you for a little while
A child of mine,” God said,
“For you to have the while he lives,
And mourn for when he’s dead.
It may be six or seven years
Or twenty-two or three;
But will you ’till I call him back
Take care of him for me?
He’ll bring his charms to gladden you
And, should his stay be brief,
You’ll have his lovely memories
As a solace for your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay,
Since all from earth return;
But there are lessons taught below
I want this child to learn.
I’ve looked the whole world over
In search for teachers true;
And from the throngs that crowd life’s land,
I have chosen you.
Now, will you give him all your love
Nor think the labor vain?
Nor hate me when I come to take
This lent child back again?”
I fancied that I heard them say:
“Dear Lord, Thy will be done.
For all the joys Thy child will bring
The risk of grief we’ll run.
We’ll shower him with tenderness,
We’ll love him while we may.
And for the happiness we’ve known
Forever grateful stay.
But should Thy angel call for him
Much sooner than we’ve planned,
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes
And try to understand.”
Amen.
~Phather Phil
P.S. For those who haven’t been following Dorian’s struggle, his mother has a page at CaringBridge.org which can be found here.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
I personally know Dorian’s godmother. Yesterday Dorian was the attention as memorial tattoos and kind words came from her in regards to his struggle. I knew Dorian through her. He is Loved and Missed. My heart goes out to his family.
Thank you Dy… I always find it interesting how God connects us all.
Have a Blessed Day!
My heart breaks for his family. Keeping them in prayer. May God comfort them.
As does mine Jenifer. Thank you.
Have a Blessed Day!
Great poem…praying for this family that has had to send their ‘lent’ child home…
Thank you Allison… I hadn’t seen it before, but it fit what I wanted to express beautifully.
Have a Blessed Day!
Praying for this family. There is comfort in knowing this little one is now Home.
That’s how I explained it to Jonathan last night Lisa. It was an initial shock and obviously upset him, but thankfully his faith is amazingly strong and he ended the evening with prayers for Dorian’s mother. Thank you for your prayers.
Have a Blessed Day!
My heart goes out to the family. So sorry for their loss.
Thank you Alida… As does mine.
Have a Blessed Day!
I will be praying for this family, it’s never easy losing a love one.
Thank you so much Desiray. Prayers are always appreciated.
Have a Blessed Day!
The words of your post brought me comfort tonight as I too am grieving the loss of a dear friend. thank you for helping me heal.
I’m very sorry to hear of your loss Jean. May God bring you the comfort and peace you need to heal.
Have a Blessed Day!
Oh that saddens my heart. I can’t imagine the immense pain of losing a child. I guess this is the moment where we have to trust God and love him for who he is, not for what he does. I pray that family will use this to move closer towards Jesus, not away from him. Love the poem…beautiful!
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers Kelli. Moments like these surely do define the path of faith.
Have a Blessed Day!
Beautiful poem. Losing a child has got to be a mom and dad’s worst nightmare. I can’t think of a more challenging time when a parent has to choose to walk by faith and not by sight. I pray God will bring armloads of comfort to this family.
Thank you Eileen… As do I.
Have a Blessed Day!
Beautiful poem, lifting this family up, praying that they feel His comfort and love.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers Heidi.
Have a Blessed Day!
May the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort be ever present with the family and friends of Dorian both now and forever.
~ Love and prayers
Thank you so much for sending these prayers Debra. 🙂
Have a Blessed Day!