The human body is so amazing and I believe our Heavenly Father was divinely inspired when he created it. Every aspect of our bodies were thought out and planned. Each had their own function and place. Our eyes, nose, brain, hands, thumbs, blood, muscles... I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. We are capable of doing so much, running miles, lifting large amounts, comforting with hugs and tender touches, crying tears of joy and pain, creating life and giving birth. Then every person, every body needs rest in order to continue to function. It is a vital part of our daily life. This I believe was truly inspired as well. I don't think sleep was just an after thought, it was part of the plan, it had to be. There is something so serene of seeing someone sleep, something peaceful and calming. Often in death our loved ones appear to be asleep and that provides us with a sense of comfort that they are at peace.
As a mother I have grown to love the view of a sleeping child. Of course as a first time mother I loved when Ethan was asleep. It meant I could sleep as well, it meant he didn't want to eat or be changed. It calmed my nervous mother heart. With each birth sleep was valued higher than the last. As we move out of the newborn, up all night phase, sleep is still so calming to me. There are days (more than I'd like to admit) that don't go so well. Where the kids seem to find my last sting of sanity and pull with all their might. Where scriptures are skipped and kids sent straight to bed. And then before I climb into bed I check on the sleeping kids and am reminded anew how wonderful it is to be a mother. How peaceful and beautiful each one of my kids is.
I'm convinced my Father in Heaven knew I would have real rough mother days and he smiled knowing that each of my kids would eventually fall asleep and I would see them as they truly are and it would be his reminder to me how special they are, how lucky I am to have them in my life. How fortunate I am to be called some form of mother by each one of them. I once read a blog of a mother whose toddler child had died in his sleep. For her the sight of any child sleeping was painful to see and would cause her anxiety due to this tragic death. My mother heart ached so much for her, how tragic and how sad that such a source of joy and peace could cause someone else such pain.
Every night before I crawl (or fall some nights) into bed I go room to room and check on each child. It allows me to go to sleep knowing each one of my kids is safe and sound. One night I went into Ethan's room and he wasn't in bed. I was a little upset with him thinking he had snuck out of bed to play or sneaking around the house. I decide to check on Brynlee before I busted Ethan and how great was my surprise when I found him sleeping in the rocking chair in Brynlee's room. They were both sound asleep. The next morning I asked Ethan why he had slept in Brynlee's room and he said that he wanted to make sure she was ok all night. (He really is a sweet boy)
How thankful I am for little reminders, such as a sleeping child, that the world is good, kids are great and being a mother is AWESOME!!!
