My Simple Pleasure: Taking a moment to watch my kid sleep.

It is something of a special, simple pleasure to me seeing Nick and Corinne sleep. The opportunities are rare. Nick sleeps lightly so, walking in on him would be a bit on the selfish side. Corinne, on the other hand, sleeps wonderfully behind a closed door. But, on those rare opportunities, be they on a long car ride or when they sleep late and need to be aroused, I like to take the opportunity to stare into angelic peace. The pleasure of that brief moment is derived from a number of perspectives: shear beauty, grace incarnate, a sense of accomplishment and good fortune to have a peaceable place for my child to find rest and perhaps even a ting of jealousy wishing that I could be in that carefree world that sleeping child resides and last but not least, they aren't screaming, wanting, crying... ;-). I have always sensed the power of the Nativity icon, but I think I have been given an opportunity to gain new incite.

I expect that those opportunities will become rarer still. The kids will expect their private space and their faces will certainly lose their 'angelicness' all too soon. At least, that's what they tell me...