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Friday, October 24, 2014

Praising God for a Good Night's Sleep!

These days waking up rested is not my default position. Since Sunday I've had three nights with 4-5 hours of sleep. I'm not complaining, mind you, just stating a fact. Do you ever think about what a blessing it is to have a good night's sleep? And do you ever get up and thank God for the blessing of a peaceful night taking a break from the pressure-cooker of life? I always say my morning offering, but it's only when I'm not sleeping that I appreciate what a gift sleep is.

Some quotes on sleep:

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb
And if tonight my soul may find her peace
in sleep, and sink in good oblivion,
and in the morning wake like a new-opened flower
then I have been dipped again in God, and new-created.       ~D.H. Lawrence
It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.      ~John Steinbeck
O sleep, O gentle sleep,Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee,
That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down
And steep my sense in forgetfulness?       ~William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part I 
And my favorite (Erma Bombeck could have said it!):
Life is too short to sleep on low thread-count sheets.     ~Leah Stussy
Actually, Erma did say something about sleep (well, related to sleep) that made me laugh:
No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed. I have known mothers who remake the bed after their children do it because there is wrinkle in the spread or the blanket is on crooked. This is sick.  (LOL! Amen. That is the definition of obsessive compulsive behavior.)
Hope you had a good night last night. If not, I hope you find time for a nap. Sweet dreams.
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4 comments:

  1. MichaelOctober 24, 2014 at 3:32 PM

    Perhaps the lovely Scottish singer Emily Smith can help:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm41rCaF45s

    John O'Dreams

    When midnight comes and people homeward tread
    Seek now your blanket and your feather bed
    Home comes the rover his journeys over
    Yield up the night time to old John O'Dreams

    Across the hills the sun has gone astray
    Tomorrows cares are many dreams away
    They stars are flying your candle is dying
    Yield up the darkness to old John O'Dreams

    Both man and master in the night are one
    All things are equal when the day is done
    The prince and the ploughman, the slave and the freeman
    All find their comfort in old John O'Dreams

    When sleep it comes the dreams come running clear
    The hawks of morning cannot reach you here
    Sleep is a river, flow on forever
    And for your boatman choose old John O'Dreams

    ReplyDelete
  2. annOctober 26, 2014 at 2:58 PM

    http://ipsumesse.wordpress.com/2007/08/07/sleep-charles-peguy/

    ReplyDelete
  3. newguy40October 27, 2014 at 7:07 PM

    If you are not already doing so, I strongly recommend adding Night Prayer to your evening routine. I've found a nightly examen followed by Night Prayer to be an enormous assistance to a restful sleep.

    And, yes, saying thank you for a good nights sleep is a simple way to remember to stay thankful for seemingly small things.

    Blessing at the close of Night Prayer.

    May the all-powerful Lord
    grant us a restful night
    and a peaceful death.
    – Amen.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mary Ann KreitzerOctober 28, 2014 at 1:56 PM

    Thank you for the suggestion. I usually do a short examen, but will add night prayer to my plan. Had another 4-hour night last night. (Sigh) Was reading Chesterton on my kindle from 2-4 a.m. Goodness! Two men (one sleeping, one dead) and me in the bed. LOL!

    ReplyDelete