tidying

Every night before I go to sleep, I go in and check on Ella. Sometimes it backfires, and she wakes up (not that I mind rocking her back to sleep). But most of the time I just look at her, smile at whatever crazy position she's in (if it's especially cute I go get Andy to join the fun), pray over her, re-tuck her blanket, and just enjoy seeing her so relaxed and delicious.

Often I'm reminded of snippets from a passage in "Peter Pan." Last night I figured I should look up the actual quote, and I believe it's going to stay with me through many a night looking in on my children...

"It is the nightly custom of every good mother after her children are asleep to rummage in their minds and put things straight for next morning, repacking into their proper places the many articles that have wandered during that day.

"If you could keep awake (but of course you can't) you would see your own mother doing this, and you would find it very interesting to watch her. It is quite like tidying up drawers. You would see her on her knees, I expect, lingering humorously over some of your contents, wondering where on earth you had picked this thing up, making discoveries sweet and not so sweet, pressing this to her cheek as if it were as nice as a kitten, and hurriedly stowing that out of sight.

"When you wake in the morning, the naughtiness and evil passions with which you went to bed have been folded up small and placed at the bottom of your mind; and on the top, beautifully aired, are spread out your prettier thoughts, ready for you to put on." -J.M. Barrie