Sweet Sleep! 3 of 3

Ultimately, we have to design our days with all things in mind... the "reprieves" and the responsibilities. Though both have beauty, the reality is that we get caught up in the responsibilities and squeeze out the venues for giving our minds, bodies, and souls the sabbath necessary for nourishment.

I have heard it said that our day is a stage for how we sleep tonight. The choices we make each day very often impact how we sleep. And, while I know there are reasons beyond the ones I will mention I am confident that many of the factors, in the following posts, compete with our opportunity to get a good night’s sleep.

There will be times when lack of sleep could be a burden we must bear. And, ultimately true rest comes from Him. But, I hope for all of us that if it is in His good and perfect will for us to sleep tonight that we would find such physical rest. And, if our work and our temptation to covet are the “bed bugs” that are keeping us from sleeping snug I pray that we would be willing to surrender to Him those empty dreams that we so often create, and instead embrace and sink into the dreams that only He can imagine.

Psalm 127:2
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.


Lullaby and good night
Lullaby, and good night,
With pink roses bedight,
With lilies o'erspread,
Is my baby's sweet head.
Lay you down now, and rest,
May your slumber be blessed!
Lay you down now, and rest,
May thy slumber be blessed!



The Barocha
The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face to shine upon you
To shine upon you and be gracious
And be gracious unto you
The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face to shine upon you
To shine upon you and be gracious
And be gracious unto you
The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you
The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you
And give you peace, and give you peace
And give you peace, and give you peace
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen

May God bless us and our sleep.

Sweet Sleep! 2 of 3

My ability to focus becomes often insurmountable without adequate sleep. In addition to other motivators, I find that I am most likely to grab more coffee when I am lacking sleep. Though this only brings temporary stimulation to my mind which is begging for rest. My mind seems to cope as long as the current task at hand is not interrupted, but as soon as any competing force intervenes stress emerges in the form of a sleep-deprived response.

When my children were born, I continued to see the need to balance a good day with good sleep. I believed if it was good for me then even more for my babies. In addition, I was reading information that affirmed how healthy sleep patterns improved brain development. The synoptic activity in the brain is able to perform most effectively when adequate sleep is available. I was attracted immediately to teaching them “how to sleep.” Okay, I know that ultimately a body will sleep. We saw this when our little ones once literally exhausted… spun and plopped without an ounce of energy left to spare.

There is a difference, though, with teaching the “spirit” to rest along with the body and brain. It is often that our bodies are willing to sleep, but our spirits often have to be lulled. And, it tends to go much longer than the body. Therefore, one of my first goals was to teach my children a sleep routine that supported their current stage in life.

I found that this season of teaching continued until they were both between four and five years old. At that point, we gave up their naps in the afternoons. In the beginning, the principle was to schedule their day around their sleep time which can often be easier for a mother who has chosen to stay home with her children, and is ruthlessly strategic with competing activities.

Naturally, a one month old sleeps more than a one year old. Thus, those early days were quiet, predictable times in order to provide opportunity for plenty of sleep. Well, on the days when our baby was “on schedule.” If it was one of those competitive times, immediately I would begin accessing all the possibilities that could be competing with their need to sleep. And, the possibilities were endless. If you have ever been a parent of a newborn, you can relate to those endless possibilities and the urgency to seek out the solution as quickly as possible.

Many of these possibilities will be further considered and detailed in the posts ahead. In the meantime, my conviction is strong when I encourage parents to seek steady, regular sleep routines for their children. I understand that the older we get, the tug to personally compete and neglect what we know to be good becomes stronger and stronger; but there is no substitute for sweet sleep.

In the womb and at least for that first year, I often lulled our children literally with lullabies from Michael Card’s album: Sleep Sound in Jesus. And two of my favorites stuck as they were toddlers, though I personally found it a treat to sing to them. And thankfully so did they, since singing is not one of my “talents.”

Sweet Sleep! 1 of 3

The foundation for a good day starts with good sleep. I have definitely seen evidence in this with my own experience. I know that when I have gone without adequate sleep for any period of time and without reprieve I have inevitably “paid the piper.” I have seen this, either through a wearing down of the immune system, developing habits that support a see-saw lifestyle, and an inability to efficiently focus on the activities of the day.

I know that this is not rocket science. And knowledge, alone, is not the only motivation for I consistently find myself enjoying those late hours. They are quiet. Not only quiet because the children are sleeping. But generally speaking, the world is sleeping. Less demands. No meals to make, phone calls cease, and the daily activities will patiently wait till morning. But then morning comes, and my energy is depleted from the late night adventure. Perhaps the "secret" is knowing what it is that brings each of us reprieve and planning into our otherwise busy lifestyles. For me, it is writing... well and mindlessly hanging out. And, the latter reinforces my continued late night escapades and more so when other links in my wellness cycle start to kink. Kinks are not all bad, but not over the long haul.

Even long term, I am seeing how this plays out. As I am approaching forty years old, I am seeing newer patterns in an inability to marathon or sprint through my activities, crash, and recover efficiently. I become even more worn down and I am more likely to get sick.

I know that my age only plays a part of it. In my current life-stage as a mother, I have struggled, often in denial, that steadiness is an essential tool for the trade. By steadiness, I mean pacing myself in the midst of the many responsibilities/privileges of motherhood versus erratically bouncing around.

While there may be seasons to justify the marathon or sprint approach; in general I wonder if these are actually indicators that a person is in the process of identifying and seeking a personal mission, purpose, and style; or perhaps he/she is struggling to surrender and focus. If in fact it is the former, then it must be seen as a temporary approach, and must be tempered with moderating forces so that the individual does not burn out. And if the latter is the situation, then lines of accountability should be established so that change can be prompted and encouraged.

Anyone wrote A Book?

Happy July! Quiet, cloudy, rainy afternoons can lead to reflective times. Last week was busy with the family vacation to the East Coast so it's fun to be home even if I am baby-sitting my finicky washer at the same time.

Finally took the plunge... I want to write a book. I am thinking of it as a way to take my thoughts, organize, and share them with others.

This week, I am currently putting together "chapters" on how the "body biologically behaves." I am looking for feedback on how to put together a book and where to start in getting editing assistance. Any suggestions out here? :-)

Right now, I am extemporaneously putting my thoughts on "paper," organizing them into chapters (not that it will stay like that but it puts a little framework around it for me,) constantly re-reading, pruning, and pulling out reference materials in order to refresh my knowledge bank. I have a list of topics that I want to develop within this field of study and so I am just diving in putting my thoughts on paper.

Any feed back?

Refections on... Fish Oil

I have been "urgent" with my attention to nutrition for the past nine years since the conception of my first child. And, while I have been far from a purist nutritionally I have attempted to consistently develop a healthier mindset. Two of the reasons are first naturally I sense a responsibility for my children who are developing habits based on my lifestyle and second personally I have seen the impact when I have been able to connect some dots between what I consume and how my body responds. And, for one who has a "low tolerance" for pain the latter has been a constant motivator.

My most recent lesson on fish oil has inspired me to experiment and explore more on the... said deficiencies of essential fatty acids. Last weekend, I attended workshops that began to stimulate new motivation on some next steps in nutrition for my family.

Thus, as of this morning my children and I have begun the introduction of liquid fish oil. Yes... Cod-liver Oil (though disguised with an orange-flavor, its natural taste did mildly surface) and thankfully with some strategic coaching over the past couple of days; we "victoriously" consumed. Though, this is as much a lesson in observing how our bodies biologically behave I am curious to see the monetary expenses incurred and will need to see definite advantages in order to implement as a lifestyle. It seems that whether supplementing essential fatty acids through fish oils or including the foods that are rich in efa in our diet, both are a monetary commitment.

Attention Span

As I write this entry, I am sipping a cup of coffee knowing that it will stimulate my brain at least temporarily as I get these thoughts into print. While talking to a friend this morning on the topic of attention span, I thought I must get these forming ideas into print before once again I forget what it is that I believe stimulates the attention span. The irony of such a thought... to forget my ideas about the attention span! Ha!

In other words this topic hits close to home. I have found that in order to improve my often waning attention there are different "coping methods" that I must practice. While there are unique situations in everything I have found that it includes starting with good sleep patterns, balanced eating habits, systems that support not losing track of your stuff, routine that fosters learning, methods that trigger recall, activities that captivate the imagination and learning, designating time for particular activities, moderating distractions, securing the mind on the information being communicated, identifying your passions, healthy self-talk, ministering to others, simplifying the stuff in our world, moving between work time and down time throughout the day, recreation & rest, edifying relationships, a colorful world, movement & exercise, light, fresh air, relieving & managing stress, having a purpose, setting goals, starting somewhere, letting go of perfection, and having an eternal hope. Okay! Overwhelming, yes! And, I know there are more! Yet, we wonder why our attentions suffer. :-)

I have found that multi-tasking is not the virtue that our culture touts. This has been reinforced for me as I have begun to educate my children. Focusing in its truest sense is the opposite of multi-tasking. Though I believe being flexible and available is important, it must be consistently evaluated against the temptation to not commit.