children of ..

 Thanks for the list of boys and girls and their ages.  

---

Oh God, these kids you know much more than us,

& even than their parents do. They're yours!

You made them, love them, are the one who'll fuss

about, as no-one else would. Just "because"..

that is what love does. Knowing all our needs,

and too all our desires, you'll do the best

for us, but not mechanic'ly, for seeds

will grow in garden beds  after they rest

from being seeds - that shape and form, and store

of food (for tougher times that might come on),

and when they do, a kind of life that's more

will burst on out, the seed will be quite gone!

And yet we think, it always had that life,

because the source of life contrived things so.

The "second death" would cut that like a knife,

and burn it up. But farmers aren't so slow

as to do that to ev'ry plant they've got,

they treasure those they work quite hard to grow;

so much they may well leave some weeds that shot 

up after plants grew up. "Best times" they'll know.

And all these seeds, each child, offspring of God,

as poets of the Greeks had even seen,

we pray will grow as that, look for your nod,

and open up themselves  at inbetween

times (unimportant to some lookers on

but precious to a parent who knows love)

with us, with you, our father, with your son,

'n'our oldest brother's spirit "from above".

Amen.

---