Loading...It seems that every year we are required to change our clocks back to “Standard Time” before I’m ready to let go of the evening light. I tend to prefer the “falling back” for what seems like an extra hour on that single day of the year. If I’m prudent, I will use that hour for sleep, because in our house, sleep most often seems short. Maybe, just maybe, this one hour will make up for hundreds of thousands of sleepless minutes.
Exhaustion doesn’t even creep in anymore. It leaps. I don’t know if that’s about age or that we try to squeeze just a little more awake time to complete just one more thing before turning the lights out.
On a good night, sleep comes quickly. But I’ve found that as menopause and a racing mind are a reality, I more often than I like, experience insomnia.
I’ll quietly get out of bed and go back downstairs and boil some water for tea. Then I need to figure out what I need to distract my busy mind so I can return to bed, ready for as many hours of slumber as I can get.
Prayer is one potential antidote to insomnia. Focusing on the needs of others, thinking of people who have requested prayers, recognizing my own needs, taking time to list what needs forgiveness, what needs blessing, what needs hope…the list has the potential to be long. Refocusing on breathing, calming the rhythm of my heart, finding a point whether internally or externally to dwell upon, listening to quiet music—all these can help my body and mind find rest. Sometimes, if the tea was hot and the blankets warm, it doesn’t take too long for sleep to take over.
But finding what to pray about can feel daunting at times. Have you noticed that there is a list of people on the back of our leaflets. In the past couple of months, I’ve included other prayers from multiple sources to pray when it might be hard to find the words.
Please remember, even if you can’t find the words, resting in the silence, listening for God’s presence, God’s guidance, God’s message to you, can be enlightening in ways you may never have imagined.
May your extra hour during the time between Saturday into Sunday be filled with what you most need—and if that’s prayer, may you know that you probably aren’t the only one going to the source of hope, the place of peace, the eternal love of our Creator.
Resting in the arms of the Holy,
Rev. Debbie+
