“Your Sleep Will be Sweet”

 

When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid, yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

Proverbs 3:24

1 Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee
All through the night;
Guardian angels God will send thee
All through the night.
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,
I my loving vigil keeping,
All through the night.

2 While the moon her watch is keeping
All through the night;
While the weary world is sleeping
All through the night.
Over thy spirit gently stealing,
Visions of delight revealing,
Breathes a pure and holy feeling,
All through the night.

3 Deep the silence round us spreading,
All through the night;
Dark the path that we are treading,
All through the night.
Still the coming day discerning,
By the hope within us burning,
To the dawn our footsteps turning,
All through the night.

4 Star of Faith the dark adorning,
All through the night;
Leads us fearless toward the morning,
All through the night.
Though our hearts be wrapped in sorrow,
From the home of dawn we borrow,
Promise of a glad tomorrow,
All through the night.

https://youtu.be/e1mSTNegprE

Welsh Hymn: "Ar Hyd y Nos”-

In English known as : All Through the Night) 

A Wrlsh song sung to a tune that was first recorded in Edward Jones ‘ Musical and Poetical Relics of the Welsh Bards (1784). 

Welsh lyrics were written by: 

John Ceirog Hughes (1832-1887). 

Translated to English by: 

Harold Boulton (1859-1935)

When our children were little, I enjoyed rocking them, singing songs, and telling them “The Story about Jesus” from Luke 2:1-20 before putting them to bed.  I began by singing songs such as “Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know” and “His Name is Wonderful”.  As I placed them in their crib, I always recited my own variation of Proverbs 3:24, 

“When you lie down, you will not be afraid.  When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”

One of my favorite memories when Katherine and John shared a room, she slept in her “Big Girl Bed”, while he slept in the crib adjacent to her.  It became common for me to hear her greet John in the mornings, “Good morning, John John.  Did you sleep sweet last night?”

I’m less likely to know how sweetly our beloved grown children sleep anymore, but that doesn’t stop me from praying this prayer for them in hopes of Proverbs 3 still being their wise pursuit of knowing and treasuring Christ. 

I recently heard this lullaby hymn, and the tune has remained on my mind.  I hope to learn it and sing it some day for our grandchildren when they’re able to come for sleepovers. 

Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Psalm 127:1-2

Sleep Sweet! 

Forgiveness

 

To forgive without [scolding],                                    even by manner or look, 

is a high exercise of grace –

it is imitation of Christ.

Robert Cleaver Chapman

(1803-1902)

Book: Agape Leadership

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.  And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

…

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 

but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

Matthew 5:1-2,…6:14-15

Crowded Kindnesses of God

“Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life.”

Alexander Maclaren 

In 2018, Dad spent approximately 3 weeks  at Westminster Woods Rapid Recovery Rehabilitation Unit.  

During that stay, this picture was taken…

As I walked this sidewalk the other day, decorated with our country’s flags for Memorial Day, I remembered Mom and Dad posing for this picture in the same location, in the courtyard under Mom’s large picturesque window.  

It was at that time when Dad finalized his thoughts and decisions for them to move to Westminster Woods where care would be provided for them when/if he ever became unable to meet the needs of their household. 

Ultimately, he knew the LORD had provided for them all throughout their marriage, and He would continue.  Following Dad’s mini brain stem stroke in September 2018, Dad was ready to make a move.  It was hard for Mom to leave the home they’d lived in so happily for 33 years.  When their new home became available, we helped them move what they would take, and the rest was either claimed by their children, or donated.  It was an emotionally draining experience to divide up many years of our family history and memories.  They moved to the Westminster Woods community in December 2018, and a couple of months was devoted to painting and  preparing the house to list for sale.  It quickly sold in June 2019.  

They were happy in their new home.  We were all happy for them to be there, that Westminster Woods was devoted to the oversight of their daily checkins and wellbeing.  Westminster Woods would provide the necessary upkeep for their independent living home in Eastwood, which was a nice two bedroom, two bath duplex in a wonderful neighborhood of retired new friends…

But sadly, Dad fell and passed away in early August of 2020.  Mom lingered alone in their home for three more years.  The time eventually came when her children all agreed she would benefit greatly by the  oversight of a 24/7 medical staff in assisted living.  It was at that time, we downsized her belongings again and moved her into a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment on Jasmine Hall…

She lived there for one year, when she began having difficulty walking unassisted.  Finally, once again, the decision was made after much prayer and counsel from her caretakers and physical therapists that she needed the oversight of full skilled nursing care at the Health Center. 

Mom’s private room is located directly above the sidewalk in the picture below… 

It’s hard to believe that initial move took place 6 1/2 yrs ago, and since that time, we’ve witnessed and experienced how much kindness was heaped upon Mom and Dad initially, and then finally upon Mom after Dad moved to Heaven. 

Mom’s move to the Health Center took place in January, 2025. 

A lot of change has taken place in a short period of time, it seems, but oh, how much we’ve learned, and many blessings we’ve enjoyed as we’ve watched how God’s timely and merciful provisions have fallen into place for Mom’s overall care.  

I enjoy visiting Mom several times a week,  and  I am always awed by all the LORD has accomplished there by His loving kindness and care. 

Psalm 100-

1

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

2 

    Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!

3 

Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
   we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 

For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

I pray our children and their children will be attentive to observe and know this about tthe LORD’s care in Meme’s life…

He is our Good, Steadfast, Unwavering, Timeless and Unchanging, Compassionate, Faithful, Kind, and Generous Father God! 

We are a Family

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 

Jude 1-2

This is an excerpt from a sermon Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached…

https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/a-special-benediction/#flipbook/

I was encouraged to read this portion of his Special Benediction sermon concerning the special mercy of having a relational family, and even more merciful to have a family that shares the bond of being in Christ… 🙌🏼

I realize not all Believers have such a family, and by no means does this make a perfect family, but naturally, all I’ve ever known and desired is that our children and their children would know such a gift of grace!

May it be so, LORD! 

 

“Christianity teaches us to value brotherhood (i. e., family), and we highly esteem those with whom we are joined in relationship, especially in the relationships which are of grace. I like that any man should feel glad of his brother, thankful for his brother; and I am glad that Jude, when under divine inspiration, does not forget to say that he was “the brother of James.” Some of us owe a great deal to our brothers, and all of you have reason to thank God that you are the son of such an one, or that you are the father of such an one, or the sister of such an one, or the brother of such an one. There is a special mercy, probably, in your domestic position; and if there is, do not cease to praise God that he has given you to be associated in life with those who are associated with him. May our children be his children! 

May our friends be his friends! 

May our brothers be our brothers in Christ!

C. H. Spurgeon

Mom was admitted to the hospital last Saturday for a UTI. Her body was fighting it with everything she had left of strength in her when we arrived to visit her that day. 

One day she seemed fine, and the next day she was very weak and unable to speak. 

I’m thankful for the grace God gave us all to be there for Mom, to arrange being by her side 24/7 while she was hospitalized, vulnerable and unable to speak for herself.  At such a time, I became very aware of the gift our family is, of the time God has granted us, of how very valuable our time with Mom is.  There were moments when I feared she wouldn’t rebound 😭. 

I’m thankful for my brothers and their wives!! How gracious the gift of a family who is there for one another!  I’m also thankful for precious friends as caretakers, who love Mom and were there to surround and support her, and us all!!

What a gift! 

The LORD has so graciously given us to one another for loving support and strength when we ourselves are weak and weary!

I cannot imagine going through life without such a support, for those willing to combine their loving care and strength as a family for such a time! 

The LORD is soo very generous, loving, wise, and kind!  

And He is more…

He is OTHER.  

He is far more than we could ever desire to be for one another. 

We cannot know His ways, but He gives us Himself.  He makes available to us a better understanding through such trials of weakness to know He is far more than we are.

I am soo very awed by Him and His gracious mercies and provisions.

Matthew shared this to our family text feed after a whirly ride of a day when Meme’s heart rhythm had jumped up and down, which meant we met another new doctor while she was being treated…

Psalm 63:3 says, 

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 

What a blessing and comfort it was to be reminded, again, by a loving family member of how much better it is to know and to be steadfastly loved by Christ. 

Mom is much improved and we've been told she’ll return to her room at Westminster Woods today.  She’ll continue receiving care by those who are an extension of us.  They have so lovingly cared for Mom there, as Dad desired. 

Thank you, Father!

Photos:  

The day after Mother’s Day, Mom’s three children showed up together, so I asked a visiting friend, Kathy Fili, to capture our picture together.  Then I captured a photo of her with Mom…

Special family friends stepped up to stay with Mom a couple of nights when the hours of each day were long for around the clock care.   

Maxine was Mom’s caretaker while she lived in Eastwood and began needing physical assistance and care.  She and Mom were Kindred Spirits. It was a comfort to know she was available to stay with Mom one night. 

Blanca endeared herself to Mom many years ago while serving other beloved family members.  She visited Mom the day mom went to the hospital, and then later returned to spend a night with Mom. 🩷