A Sleeping Princess

My entire family was home for Easter, which was a blessing.
We talked and laughed; we remembered and dreamed.
Even if the stories were heard before, there is joy in the retelling.
The stories connect us; they are part of our history.

It was the dress up box that we were remembering.
The dress up box used to be in my youngest daughter’s closet.
The dress up box was really a small wicker hamper.
It was just the right height for my children to open in order to retrieve things.

Inside were some of my old dresses and high heeled shoes.
There were old pocketbooks and gloves.
There were flannel shirts and bathrobes.
There was also a multi-colored clown wig.

The amount of play that wig received was amazing.
It was not that my children pretended to be clowns as much as they wanted a disguise.
When that wig was put on, all sorts of characters came to the surface.
They reminisced about the videos they used to make telling the story of a Secret Agent.

They concocted mysteries that were to be solved.
Each of my children played a part in the resolution.
Depending on the installment of this on-going story, the Secret Agent had a number.
My youngest daughter watched some of the family movies that we now have on DVD.

She spent well over an hour watching and laughing.
How did all the years pass by so quickly?
It warmed my heart to hear them talk about all the fun they had growing up.
Grown men and women remembered fondly the children they once were.

I thought about this when I saw the picture.
A young mom, who is very special to me, posted a picture of her oldest daughter.
It was her daughter’s birthday.
This year she turned four years old.

I saw pictures of this little girl with her parents.
Her little girl face is maturing.
You can see the young woman she will become.
I was thinking all of this with a wistful tug on my heart.

Until I looked at the picture.
It was a picture of the birthday girl.
She was dressed in her favorite Ariel costume complete with accessories.
Even the shoes had higher wedged heels that makes any little girl feel grown up.

The picture was so sweet.
It touched my heart simply because the birthday girl was asleep.
Her mom had a caption under the picture.
It’s exhausting turning 4.

Princess Ariel was tired.
Princess Ariel fell asleep with a crown on her head.
As I looked at her hand, the sleeping Princess was holding another crown.
It is hard work being a Princess.

The picture captured the innocence of childhood.
The picture captured the years when playing dress up is to be expected.
Playing dress up is a safe way to figure out the world when you are little.
Whenever the adult world gets too much, you can always take off the costume.

Whenever the responsibility of being a Princess is overwhelming, you can remove the crown.
That is the beauty of childhood.
Children practice adulthood within the safe parameters of play.
If it gets too much or it is too exhausting, taking a nice nap in your crown is appropriate.

I looked at the picture and thought about how many times I have heard the complaints.
I can’t wait until they are out of this phase.
I can’t wait until they can do things for themselves.
I can’t wait until they are grown.

Wait, Mothers.
Please, wait.
The days of dress up boxes and Princess costumes will be gone before you know it.
Adulthood will officially begin and then you will be the ones wanting to turn back time.

The Secret Agent movies my children made did not have compelling plot lines.
However, by the end, the bad guys were caught.
The bad guys were punished.
The good guys were protected.

It is the theme that runs through every story, no matter the culture.
It is good vs. evil.
It is the protagonist and the antagonist battling with only one winner.
It is justice being served correctly in the very black and white world of a child.

If only it were that easy.
If only adulthood could be put on and off at will.
If only responsibility could be shouldered until a nap seems like the only logical thing to do.
If only.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. (Proverbs 3: 24-26)

Sweet sleep is a gift from God.
Sweet sleep is the sleep of a child.
A child has not a care in the world because he knows that his father will handle it.
A child can sleep securely because his father is watching over him.

I saw that precious picture and was reminded that we are sons and daughters of the King.
We can sleep peacefully knowing that our Father is watching over us.
We can take off the mantle of adulthood and just be His child.
And our sleep will be sweet.

This precious little one fell asleep with her crown on her head and a crown in her hand.
One day the crown in our hand will be placed at the feet of the Lord Jesus.
Sons and daughters of the King can sleep peacefully under the care of our Father.
Sons and daughters of the King can have sweet sleep.

There is nothing wrong with an old dog falling asleep before his master. (Brennan Manning)
In fact, falling asleep before our Heavenly Father is a precious gift.
The gift of His care and protection.
The gift of His Presence.

Go ahead, adjust your crown.
Lie down and sleep at the feet of your Heavenly Father.
He watches over you.
And your sleep will be sweet.

(This precious picture is used with permission)