FJWL_02:9
         Can you hear the cry in this young one's heart? He cries, "Cast me not off! Hold on to me! For I'm frightened, and I fear what the future may hold! This is a very frightening life! Oh, how I wish that I was a little child again, sheltered under the wings of my parents. I'm frightened about what lies ahead! I don't know where to turn! Don't let go of me. Cast me not off. Hold on to me, no matter where I am!
         "I need you, my parents. I need your love. I need you to hold on to me, for I don't see the future. I see waves and billows and fog, and I'm frightened. I realize that I'm no longer a child, and this frightens me. Hold on to me! Cast me not off! I need you! Don't think that my turning away means that I don't want you to hold on to me. I'm frightened and I'm struggling. I'm scared and I'm looking for how to go forward.
         "You fear that I'm going backwards, but I'm looking for a way forward. I'm looking for a way up! I'm looking for a way up to live. So please, hold on to me as I struggle through this phase. I know that I'm going from childhood to adulthood, and it frightens me. Hold on to me as I struggle through. Don't let go!
         "I want you to be proud of me. I want your love. I cry for your love. Don't let go of me. I fear greatly. I need you to not fear. I need you to have faith. I need you to support and pray for me. Please pray for me! Pray for me that I may come through gloriously. I don't want a life of failure. Don't give up on me as I seem to be going sideways or backwards, but help me as I move forward.
         "I feel so weak facing this mountain of life ahead of me, facing the responsibilities of adulthood. I feel so very weak and unprepared. I don't feel prepared for the battles of tomorrow. I feel so weak and armorless. So please don't be disappointed in me as I seek my own identity and my way to pass forward into adulthood.
         "Hold on to me with your prayers and with your love, and remember that I don't want to disappoint you. I want you to be proud of me. Please believe this. This is a strong desire of my heart." (ML #2981)



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