Article August 14, 1989 Issue

Good night

A parent finds rest—and a fresh view of what actually makes healing possible.

Leslie Morton Crecelius

It was one of those half-funny, half-sad conclusions we draw in childhood.

Years ago as a little girl I overheard some people speaking of a local resident who had passed on "peacefully in his sleep." This made a vivid impression! For several evenings after that, I lay awake in bed late into the night, imagining that if I fell asleep, I wouldn't wake up. Needless to say, this notion that being physically awake would keep me alive passed quickly into oblivion!

I don't suppose I ever thought much about this baseless deduction until one night many years later when one of our youngsters was feverish and not interested in eating. We had had a quiet afternoon together, reading and praying and playing with a new wooden train set. After the child went to bed and fell asleep, I spent further time in prayer late into the night.

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