November
9, 2013
Dear
Ones,
The day was long; I was tired, the drizzling
rain outside, and events of the past hours seeped in making the walk to the
nurseries seem even longer than usual. In
the cold hallway I found myself shivering just a little more. Rounds on little ones for goodnight snuggles
and checks on lung sounds and fevers shouldn’t come this late but here I was
just starting. I would bend over cribs
for goodnights whispered into sleeping ears and pray that I did not wake the
ones who had fought sleep, but it is a necessary evil when you are their nurse
listening and looking for any hint of coming trouble.
I opened the last door quietly and glanced about scanning for who was
where and what needed checking on. Up
popped a bouncy body from the corner crib- “Ma Lie Ya! Castle Song!”
The two little ones playing quietly on the floor still awake chimed in, “Yes,
yes- Castle song!” I saw several sleep
laden eyes flutter open and smiles- Oh, how I love these children! Ayis smiled and said- they were waiting for
you they said they couldn’t sleep until you sang their song with them…
Several weeks ago Dr. Steve purchased a small
pop up castle for their nursery and they have been delighted by it. One afternoon while we were playing in it
(yes, I do get into the castle with them) I began singing,
“Joy
is the flag flown high from the castle of my heart, from the castle of my
heart, from the castle of my heart, joy is the flag flown high from the castle
of my heart for The King is in residence there.”
They were thrilled! So began our castle song time, we gather
together and sing whenever we can and to hear their little voices raised in song
is a beautiful thing.
I pulled those sleepy bodies to me and we
sang about Joy. Not happy, not
everything fun, but Joy- a Joy that comes because the King of Kings is on His
Throne in the Castle of my heart and He has raised His banner high over
it. It means Joy is still present when I
am leaning into the hard, when I am confused, tired, lonely, and cold. It is a joy that the world cannot understand
a joy that sings from the heart of an orphan child’s lips that there is a flag
flying high for The King is in residence here.
We sang, we snuggled, and little bodies were tucked into cribs now ready
to allow sleep to claim them and I smiled as I left that nursery humming. I was given yet another grace, a good gift, a
lesson, another reason to praise and give thanks for He is my Joy.
Counting
it all Joy,
Mariah
