Late Night Benedictions

3:00 AM

The lightning flashed and the thunder shook our windows. Then our bedroom door slowly opened and the silhouette of #3 paused in the open doorway, tousled and sleepy, wearing his too-big pajamas and clutching his pillow. My wild child reduced to a mere slip of a boy.

It crashed again and he flew to my side of the bed. “Can I sleep with you?” Without waiting for a reply, he scrambled over me and settled into the empty space between his father and myself.

His warm little body cuddled up next to mine and he whispered softly to himself and then sighed in a mixture of tiredness, pleasure and comfort. I breathed deeply of the tangy smell of little boy and smiled to myself.

The thunder boomed again and the windows rattled. “Still scared?” I asked.

“Uh-uh.” He shook his head and whispered, “I have the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and you. Why would I be scared now?”