Cat Naps and Circles

The wife and I haven't really slept all week. We go to bed and then after a couple of hours, one of us gets up for a while and fiddles about answering e-mails etc. Then that person comes back to bed and the other one gets up and fiddles about for awhile.

It doesn't really seem to bother us for some reason. We just have so much to think about and process that we welcome the waking hours to get through things.

Don't get me wrong, we love a good night's sleep - it just seems like sleep isn't the highest priority right now.

The other night, I got up for no particular reason and the wife was awake, sitting at the desk.

"Whatcha doin'?" I asked.

"Writing" came the answer.

Ok. Nothing odd about that at 2am.

Turns out, she was writing down a dream she had just had:

Circles


I like circles.

I like to paint them.

I'm an Optician and I recently did a painting for my work space with lots of colorful circles representing eyeballs. Picture a flower garden from a birds-eye view - a bundle of grapes - lots of faces - lollipops.

I like round tables, round rugs, all things round (like my Annabelly right now). A wedding ring, a Christmas wreath - they symbolize forever or eternity. No beginning and no end.

Last night I climbed into bed, closed my eyes and saw a bright circle in the dark. It turned into abstract shapes that formed a circle. Then those abstract shapes turned into little girls.


They became less abstract and then very clear. Little girls hand-in-hand walking slowly in a circle, eyes up to the sky, smiling , some eyes closed. They were praying for our little angel Annabelle.

And then I saw their faces. There was Kathryn and Lauren Mercer, Grace Roberts, Serena Hawkins, Sydney Chandler, Madison Millard, Grace Weaver, Kennedy Plant, and Tawny Kanowitz.


There was Annabelle Fager, Dorothy Adey, Harper Hunt, Courtney Vanderzwan, Lauren and Heather Maierhoser, Emily Fitch, Oceana Dunsire, Samantha Rivera, and Cyndi Viorato.

New little girls of all ages kept joining the circle. There was Ella Miller, Olivia Marhevka, Mikala Rutschow, Michelle Zeilinger, Kathlyn Grimwood, Karina May, Billy Gardner and on and on and on.


I saw my niece, Crystal Meares, as a four year old, join in.

They laughed and prayed and smiled and circled and kept accepting new little girls to join in. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.


And then I couldn't sleep. I was so blessed and so happy.

I thought about my girlfriends and how much they mean to me. Amazing women. If you think that little girl list was long, take all their beautiful mommies and double it.


I have so many unbelievably special little boys that have enriched my life beyond words but this one is for the girls.

I will teach my daughter to cherish her girlfriends as one of life's greatest gifts. That the value of being a good friend, sister, cousin, auntie, girlfriend, wife, mother, daughter or grandmother is immeasurable.


For I have been blessed with such a brilliant circle, and I want the same for her.