Dear Lord, welcome this traveler who has roamed the whole world with an eager and observant eye and responsive heart. Welcome him as he goes forth now on a new journey to an unknown place.

It is hard to say goodbye to someone we love, but we are willing if we know he is embarking on the next stage of a fascinating journey; that he is always curious to see things never seen before; happy to voyage to places he has never been before; to learn and appreciate what he has never known before, to rejoice in what he loves.

Help me to accept the fact that he is parting from me now, traveling far from me, and help me to know that we will be rejoined someday. Comfort me who will miss him so very much and help me to remember and to share and to keep alive his spirit of adventure and love of live. Amen