Watching from the Window

Every morning, as I walk my daughter to the bus stop, I wave to the crossing guard who stands at her post across the street from my house.

“Have a great day!” I wish her as I walk back to my house to get my little boys ready for yeshiva. Since they have a direct ride to their school, they don’t have to be walked to a bus stop. They wait right outside my house until their ride comes.

I used to stand outside with them and wait together with my little baby, waving them off to school every morning. But now that the weather is colder, I don’t want to take my baby outside. So I stand inside my warm house while my boys don their coats and knapsacks and I watch them go from my post at the window.

I wave to them as they get into the car.

I blow kisses to them as they close the car door.

I send up a little prayer as they drive off, asking Hashem to give them a good day. They should learn well, have a good time with their friends and come home safely.

One day, as I watched them from my spot at the window, I saw a strange man walk over to them and start talking to them. My heart stopped and I ran to the door, opened it and yelled out, “Is everything okay?”

The man looked relieved. “I just saw two little boys standing outside by themselves so I got nervous.”

“I’m watching them from the window the whole time!” was my response.

Phew. That was a little scare.

And I thought to myself, No one else can see me watching my children as they wait for the car to come pick them up, but I am there. I don’t leave my spot at the window until they are safely in the car and on their way to school. Does the crossing guard who watches all the little children walk to school and wait for buses and car rides know this? Does she know that I don’t take my eyes off my boys for even a moment?

And then I realized, Isn’t it the same with Hashem? He is always watching us. Always watching over each of us with the same love and care that I watch over my children. And although we can’t see Him, we know He is there. Peeking through the windows of the Heavens, coordinating events in our lives so everything happens with such precision and accuracy.

Sometimes, we are lucky enough to see Him so clearly, and it’s like we can wave back to Him and say, “Hashem, I know that was you! Only YOU could have made all this happen to me.”

But when we don’t see Him, we still know and believe that He is watching over us.

Just like I watch my children from the window.

May we be able to feel Hashem watching over us every day of our lives.