Currently, she is wide awake and comically chatty. I've got Himmelman's latest (The Pigeons Couldn't Sleep) playing and hopeful dreams of sleeping in on Wednesday instead of tomorrow on my mind. I'll be up early with my daughter tomorrow and if my wife can come home from her work early, I won't have to go to my work late. Otherwise, I'll be calling my boss and hoping he understands. How most working parents make it, I don't have a clue.
It's now midnight and her big brother just wandered into the room. Apparently, this is the house where no one sleeps. Despite the stress of losing sleep and work hours, I feel incredible peace right this minute. Peter Himmelman sings "Gratitude" and I know that I'm a rich man.
I'm glad that I can see
The brown eyes of my daughters
The moon on silent waters
Your forming silhouette moving across the room.
My own Chatty Cathy on the couch continues to tell me what she knows is true as I pray that she'll talk herself to sleep. I've got a print of that famous Doisneau photograph on one wall and a poster of the Eiffel Tower with fireworks behind it on another. It's so cute to hear my little girl describe them to me. I've finally gotten Joshua back to bed, but Ari is still giggly and chipper as she tells me that she likes to "eat good food so that I will grow." She adds that she likes ice cream. One of the good foods, I think she means.
I'm going to sleep next to my daughter tonight, assuming she's planning on falling asleep sometime soon.
Himmelman sings simply and perfectly in "Save A Little Honey":
Save your speeches for someone who cares
Save your teardrops to soften up your prayers
Save your dignity for God above
Save a little honey for the one you love.
2 comments:
It's lovely to hear a father who sees the joy in a sleepless night. Thank you for sharing that with me.
Sara: Thanks for reading. She's my Princess.
She made it easy last night by being in such a good mood. It's when the kids are fussy and inconsolable that I find no joy in being up so late.
Post a Comment