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Nighttime Ritual -Today's reading from Light to lead the Way: A daily devotional for teen mothers
(This devotional was written by one a teen mom Mentor.)
Nighttime Ritual
But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. Luke 2:19
When my daughter was three years old, our nighttime ritual was story time followed by snuggling until she fell asleep. Some bedtimes seemed longer than others, depending on how quickly she went to sleep and how much I still needed to accomplish that night.
One evening, Gabby was full of questions. What did I do after she went to sleep? When was my bedtime? Did I ever talk to her when she was asleep? I told her that I checked on her every night before I went to bed; I would kiss her and then whisper in her ear, “I love you, with all of my heart.” This seemed to comfort her as she burrowed under her covers.
Two nights later we were snuggled in her bed. It felt like I had a million tasks to finish that night: I was counting the minutes until she was fast asleep so I could get up and begin the dishes and homework to prepare for the next day. I could tell she wasn’t asleep yet; in fact, she seemed to be trying hard to not fall asleep. I reminded her to close her eyes and to think about rainbows or puppies to soothe herself. I closed my eyes and pretended that I was asleep, hoping this would settle her down. What was taking her so long to fall asleep when I had so much to do?
Out of the darkness I heard a little voice say, “Mommy, are you awake?” I feigned sleep, my impatience growing. Then another quiet, “Mommy?” I remained silent. After a few minutes, I felt a gentle caress on my cheek and then a soft whisper in my ear, “I love you Mommy, with all of my heart.” Tears rolled down my cheeks as I pulled my little girl close, the unimportant tasks and homework forgotten.
This lesson of how precious is the short time that I have with my child was not lost on me. That bedtime taught me to treasure each and every moment with her. Making memories with your child is important because he or she will never forget those moments; neither will you. There will always be dirty dishes.