My favorite things...

I woke up at three this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. Over the years, I have developed an arsenal of sleep aids for these early morning sleep marches. Sometimes the first round works but last night, it took them all.

First, I pray the prayers of my childhood… God is good, God is great, let us thank him for our food, by his hands we all are fed, thank you, Lord, for our daily bread; Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Gratitude and assurance… gratitude for the gifts of life and assurance that my soul rests in the loving arms of God…sometimes this is all I need to remember to dismiss the sleep stealing night demons.

If that doesn’t work, I move on to memorized Bible verses. The first Bible verse memorized in Beginner Sunday School… Be ye kind… is my favorite. Short and to the point, it offers a wisdom way for living in the world of others. Be ye kind even when you can’t stand the smarty pants girl who jumps rope better than you do. Be ye kind when you are the winner and be ye kind when you are the loser. When you are grown and rearing children, be ye kind. When you are married, be ye kind. When your boss snarls at you, be ye kind. The runner up Bible verse is, “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom then shall I fear?” Life and its perplexing possibilities are always scarier at night for me. I can get caught up in a roller coaster of “what if’s” and scare myself further awake. This memory verse breaks the pattern. Sometimes I will sing the anthem in my head to hear the music of this passage, Psalms 27, and my breathing will shift as I hide away under the Rock in a weary land.

If the Bible verses don’t work, I move on to favorite hymns. “Oh, God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home. Under the shadow of thy throne still may we dwell secure, sufficient is thine arm alone and our defense is sure. Before the hills in order stood or earth received her frame, from everlasting thou art God to endless years the same. Oh God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, be thou our guide while life shall last and our eternal home.” This hymn has been my theme song through trials and tribulations. It is my theological statement of belief and I can sing all the verses.

Then I recite my motto. “Faith is the strength through which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.” These words came from one of my heroes, Helen Keller. If ever a life was shattered, hers was. And if ever darkness gave way to light, her life provides a pattern for me in times of darkness.

Last night, however, required the Alphabet Prayer taught to me by Pitts Hughes. It was her comfort during sleepless night hours. Beginning with the letter A, you name those you know and love whose names begin with A... Adam, Alison, Anna, Aidan… then B and yes, Cara, you are among the C’s. If I make it to the end of the alphabet, there are no X’s, Y’s or Z’s. Sometimes I will start at the end of the alphabet to make sure everyone gets equal time. Remember “Be ye kind”?

So this morning, I am refreshed not by sleep but by the remembrance of all that sustains me, a litany of love. Like the tee shirt says, Life is good… and bad and wonderful and awful and hilarious and sad and above all, a gift without strings attached. Thanks be to God.