Slumber

The other night after waking up with Ella at 5 a.m. I tried to settle back into sleep. Comforter pulled up over my head and still the snores were barely muffled. I searched for the perpetrator's feet under the covers to try and give him a gentle nudge in hopes that he would stop. Jerry's snores persisted. In his defense, the snores are not of the buzz-saw variety. I began to think of the snores, the man that creates them and his presence in our bed. I am so grateful that he is here with me. Just a few nights prior, Jerry's aunt died. I thought of her husband, Jerry's uncle, that had shared over fifty years in the same bed with this woman. I thought of the dreams, tears, discussions and laughter that was shared between the two of them in the quiet of the night. I thought about how lonely it must be to reach across the covers only to find more bed. How the sounds of her breathing at night must be missed.
Although most evenings we fall into bed exhausted, heads happily meeting the pillow...it is the quiet hours that we share asleep or in brief discussion that I treasure most right now. We move through our days in manic synchrony, completing our daily routines without thought. At night, the distractions melt away and all that is left is two individuals, two lives, one family, one love and some minor nasal obstructions...I couldn't ask for more.