My 10-year-old son wants me to tuck him in with a prayer and a kiss each night. He came to the kitchen where his mother and I were dissolving into a disagreement. She dismissed him, saying, "Daddy will be in in about 5 or 10 minutes."
The little guy went off to dreamland, waiting for me as the argument dragged on. My wife doesn't let me sleep in our house anymore. It's complicated. But the next morning, I am expected to return by 6 a.m. when she leaves for work. This being a Saturday morning, I returned and fell back asleep since the kids didn't have school. About 6:30 a.m., my 10-year-old awakened to go to the bathroom. He stuck his head in and said, "Daddy, has it been more than 5 or 10 minutes?"
Instantly, I knew he had no idea what time it was. It was still dark out, so he may have thought half an hour or so had gone by. Not having the heart to tell him I'd forgotten in the aftermath of an argument the night before, I quietly slipped into his bedroom and whispered a prayer. "Dear Lord, be with Mark. Give him a good night's sleep. Thank you for the fun we had today at Grandma's birthday party. Give Mark a good day tomorrow at his Bible quiz. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
I gave him a peck on the cheek, and before falling back asleep, he asked, "How long has it been?"
I hesitated. "I'll see you in the morning, son," I said, and walked out.
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