Abide with me

Every so often I get a migraine headache that requires lying down in a quiet room. Unfortunately, with three young children at home, I am rarely able to indulge in such luxury.

This morning, however, was one of those rarities. Oh, beauty! I crawled back into bed after greeting my children. My 2-1/2-year old daughter wanted to join me so I let her, figuring she wouldn’t stay.

Almost three hours later, guess who was still there? No, she hadn’t lain still the whole time, nor even stayed in the bed the whole time, but – she refused to go eat breakfast with her Daddy (and he made eggs, her favorite), and didn’t want to play with her brothers either, which is very unusual.

That little girl stayed with me, playing gently and whispering to herself as I dozed off and on. When finally I had to get up, she was all over me for “eggies!” And I did feel better.

I am deeply moved by my daughter’s devotion. I pray that this trait will be nurtured in her throughout her life, not only for her sake but also because I am sure there will be times when I’m saddled with more than a migraine and really in need of someone to stick with me.

I am also inspired to examine my own life’s “devotion quotient.”