Sweet sleep...

The intercranial chatter last night was so loud I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. As a child, at bedtime, I would make up stories in my head to control the ceaseless back and forth of the tracking system in my brain. Johnny Mack Brown, Roy and Dale, the Cisco Kid and his sidekick Pancho starred in my bedtime movie reels helping me focus for sleep and rest. As an adult, the cast of characters changed but the process remained the same. This worked fairly well for most of my life ( waking night dreams as opposed to daydreams) until the past few years. It is like a switch clicked in my brain and I can no longer lull myself to sleep with reel life stories that always have a happy ending. So now I am reduced to reading in bed or getting up and watching television until I am bored to sleep.
About two o’clock last night, I gave up and went to the living room, turned on the t.v. and settled down on the sofa next to Barney, our big dog, for a snuggle. Barney wasn’t interested in the program I chose so he went to the away room to sleep on the sofa. After an hour or so my brain settled down and I drifted off to sleep only waking up when Michael came in at eight o’clock this morning.
When I was rearing young children as an at home mom, sleep was a precious commodity. On the rare nights that were uninterrupted by children’s needs, I slept a deep, dreamless sleep of utter fatigue. During times of grief and illness, sleep has been a sweet balm of Gilead for my body and soul. When I feel on the edge of a bad cold or virus, going to bed and spending time resting and sleeping can stave off the impending illness. I am struck by how many of us experience sleep deprivation... not enough sleep or not the quality sleep that leaves you feeling rested.
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet... for the Lord will be your confidence and shall keep your foot from being caught.Tonight I think I will memorize these words from Proverbs and use them as my bedtime lullaby. Sweet sleep that comes when I rest in the Lord trusting that all will be well... sweet sleep that brings rest for my weary body and soul... sweet sleep that knits my raveled edges back together and lets me rise with joy in the morning. May it be so, Lord, please?