And there has been the time of prayer; of thanking the Lord for His endless mercy to me and to my family. You have to understand, I am a Mom and a Grandma, so my prayers can get pretty specific at times. In the midst of prayers for healing, deliverance, salvation, restored relationships, are requests for a lingering cough, a missing tooth, a new bike, a good game, and someone to play with at recess.
So, here I am in the night. Everyone else in the house - and who knows how many or how few that may be - are all asleep. It is quiet and dark. Even if they were awake I could not explain my thoughts to any of them. Some things are so deep inside that even those closest to me do not know about them. Some of them are so deep inside I can only guess at their origin and certainly cannot put those thoughts and feelings into words. I struggle. I toss around in the bed. I refuse to open my eyes because I am determined to go to sleep. I write books, clean house, prepare meals, finish my family cookbook, make movies and take photographs; all in the stillness of the night, without leaving my bed.
Finally, after several hours, my spirit begins to quiet. I sink a little deeper into my pillow. It is even quieter than before. I feel relaxed, I feel loved, secure. It is OK if I cannot form words for my heart thoughts. I begin to feel warm and loved. There is a gentle covering of all the days struggles.
He is here.
He wraps His strong arms around me and gently holds me. Tears fill my eyes and slip down my cheeks; tears of love. He is here and nothing else matters. I know He understands every feeling, every memory, every pain, every dream, everything that is 'me.' He gets it - He gets me. And amazingly, He loves me.
In the gentleness of the night He has come to hold me and all is right inside. My heart is still beating, my mind is awake, but I am not here - I am with Him and all is well.
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
2 John 1:2-4 
