Holidailies: Believe

Children sleeping
snow is softly falling.
Dreams are calling
like bells in the distance.

Last night I awoke to find my two year old nestled next to me under the covers. I didn’t have a glimmer of consciousness as to when he had appeared in our room, never mind what had woken him from his slumber and brought him here. When our children were small, we co-slept with them and everyone had a restful night’s sleep, even if there were moments of waking and drowsing back into the softness of sleep. Eventually we weaned them to their own beds and, these days, they remain there throughout most nights. Occasionally, we will hear their bedroom doors open, the soft shuffle of feet and then a small body snuggling under the covers.

We were dreamers not so long ago.
But one by one we all had to grow up.

I am glad, somewhat, that they have grown independent enough to find ways to soothe themselves with their nighttime waking. And yet, it sends small pangs of sadness that a certain phase of parenting is done for us. I don’t miss sleepless nights, walking the floor to find that magical position that would lull a tired and unhappy soul back into the cradle of sleep, but I do miss that feeling of connectedness to my children’s dreams.

When it seems the magic slipped away,
we find it all again on Christmas day...

Julia is on the cusp of not believing. She is often told by her callous classmates the “truth” about Santa Claus and the commercialism of Christmas that lends itself more to “I’m desperate for” than “I’m grateful for” sentiment. Yet, precocious as she is, kernels of her innocence remain and I push her to reconsider the words that she hears and consider instead the message that she feels in her heart. And, like the clear ting of the bells that herald the day, she tells me that she believes and I, well, I celebrate her dreams with her.

Believe in what your heart is saying,
hear the melody that's playing.
There's no time to waste,
there's so much to celebrate.

Believe in what you feel inside,
And give your dreams the wings to fly.
You have everything you need,
If you just believe.

And so it goes...