Give me Jesus

Last night found me bouncing from one baby to the next until the wee hours of the morning . . . Ella because she is just a ravenous little thing, and Caleb because he caught a terrible cold over the weekend and was still feeling pretty lousy last night. I am feeling a little worn this morning, but also remarkably blessed . . . I know that sounds a little strange, considering I only got about three hours of sleep last night, but my time with my children last night was remarkably sweet . . .

Ella is growing. Fast. Yesterday she tried rolling over and she nearly laughed at her Daddy. I am continually surprised at how fast time flies when I measure it against the changes my children are experiencing. Most days I find that I am so busy with Caleb, that Ella, because she is so content to simply sit in her swing, does just that, and I don't get to hold her or play with her, save when I am feeding her . . . So despite being tired, it is often a pleasure to pull my smiling and hungry daughter from her crib in the middle of the night, cuddle her close to my heart, and feed her as we rock in her nursery until she falls back asleep.

Night time rendezvous with Caleb are a little more rare as he is a marvelous night-time sleeper and rarely wakes unless he has a bad dream, or feels yucky—as was the case last night. But usually he is delirious and emotionally distraught, and it takes quite a bit of time and energy to calm him down and get him back to sleep . . . Not so last night. Last night my son was lucid and utterly delightful. At 1am he called my name (Mommy), and when I stumbled into his room, he sat up in bed and said, "Mommy, I need a dwink. I am wiw-we firsty!" And when I obliged, he wrapped his arms around my neck and thanked me, planted a sweet kiss on my lips and laid back down. But before closing his eyes he reached for me. As I leaned over him he placed his little hands on the sides of my face and said, "Jesus? Pwease?" He wanted me to sing Jesus Loves Me to him. And so I did—of course. We repeated this exact scenario three more times throughout the night, and at 4am he asked if I would snuggle with him when I finished singing . . . I immediately complied. (For those of you who know Caleb, he NEVER cuddles; never has. He is a very "hands-off" sort of fellow, and I have learned that when he asks for a little physical affection, to make the most of the opportunity because it might be a while before he asks again!)

As I lay cuddled up with my little boy, his sweet breath on my neck and his arms wrapped around me, it dawned on me how sweet this gift truly was . . . and how delightful it was to hear him ask for Jesus when he was in need of comfort. While Caleb does not know Jesus as his savior (yet), he does understand that Jesus is his "rescuer" and a source of help. How good it was for me to be reminded by my son in the dark of the night that the name of my Savior is such a source of comfort—for both of us.