Joys of Bedtime

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I really do not like reading stories to my children at bedtime. Can't I just count the books we read all day long? But hey, isn't that what every mom is supposed to do at bedtime- to cuddle, read and savor the time together? I can't count the number of times my mom read Uncle Remus' "De' Tar Baby" or "Are You My Mother" to me as I was going to bed- probably hundreds! I'm sure she was tired but she read to me anyway. But, guilt aside, I do like praying with and for my children and just talking to them about life and God as they are getting ready to enter the Land of Nod. Tonight I asked Sandy what she would say in a thank you note to God if she were writing one to Him. The first thing she said was "I'm thankful that He made me." It just filled my heart. Simple, but so pure and full of love. She knows that she is special to her Creator. And next, so true to her free spirit, was being able to ride a tricycle FAST, feeling the wind and seeing the sky all around her. She also wondered if she died at night, would she get to go to heaven in her pajamas and be able to wear them FOREVER?! After that, I went to tuck in Andrew. He informed me that "the Bible really changed my life"- his words exactly. He went on to explain that he used to not understand things about God but now that Jesus is in his heart, he really does. As we prayed, he said he was sorry for all those angels who left heaven with the devil; wanted everyone one in the world to know about God; and wondered how God could be everywhere at once, but was glad He was.
I don't always take the time to engage my children so deeply at bedtime, but I should (especially since I don't like the whole book-at-bedtime thing). How sweet of God to remind me that my days with my children are indeed numbered and to invest in them at bedtime is time very well spent. Now I can go to bed and sleep in my most comfortable pj's- I never know when and if I will be wearing them forever!