Noises in the Night

(This is my TWIRP for the week of Sept. 17-23. Enjoy...)

It has not been a very good week for sleeping in our home. The primary cause of this is Eldan. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not begrudging my son anything. I am simply stating a fact--When Eldan doesn't sleep well, nobody in our house sleeps well. He has developed a habit of waking up in the night and screaming with all the force his little lungs will produce. He works himself into such a frenzy that it takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes for him to settle down. We had episodes like this during several nights this week, but the episodes were limited to just one per night...until Friday night. He went through the sleep, scream, settle cycle at least 4 times. He finally knocked off for the last time just after 2 in the morning. Danielle and I were both exhausted. We aren't too overly frustrated by this recent behavior because we know that babies are going to cry at times. I think the biggest frustration is not knowing exactly what is prompting these screaming fits and, consequently, not knowing how to respond to them. We don't want to develop a habit of picking him up every time he wakes up, but we also don't particularly want to hear him scream for half an hour. We think he may wake up suddenly and startle himself, but we really don't know. We are open to any ideas our readers might have. In the meantime, we just take things in stride and know that he won't be screaming like this when he's 13 years old--we sincerely hope.

This week began like the last one--on a somber note. The tragedy in this instance was a little closer to home, however. My wife's aunt gave birth to a baby girl over the weekend--fifteen weeks early. The initial report from the doctors was positive and somewhat amazing. Little Cassidy (only 1 pound 6 ounces) was breathing on her own. By Monday night, however, things had gotten worse. We were very saddened to learn on Tuesday that she died during the night. Although I never got to see Cassidy, I struggled with this news. It is one of those events in life where God's ways seem so puzzling and mysterious. Without going into a lot of details, let it suffice to say that the loss of this baby was especially difficult for Danielle's aunt and uncle. It's hard not to wonder why God chose this particular path for them. In the end, I was reminded of two attributes of God that helped me to keep trusting Him--God's sovereignty and God's goodness. We hope to be a help and support to Danielle's family in anyway we can over the next couple of months.

School is in full swing and we've reached the end of the first three weeks. The changes I have made from last year in my organization and preparation seem to be working well so far. I am busy, but not nearly as busy as I was last year. Debate looks like it is going to be a lot of fun for my Speech II class. I am still searching for a play to use for next spring's production. I have discovered that most of what is coming out today is quite frivolous and crude. I guess I will stick with the classics.

I attended a Men's Retreat at our church this weekend and was reminded of an essential truth of the Christian life--"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God." We live the Christian life the same way we received it--by faith.

As I type this--my son is crying. I think I'll go see if I can get him to laugh at me. Despite his tears, we are doing well, and the weekend awaits...