It's that time of year that I used to look forward to. That weekend when you get this magical extra hour of something. For me, that something was always sleep! Glorious, refreshing, sound sleep. Then I became a mother.
Children don't understand the concept of an extra hour of sleep. They go to bed at their normal 8:00pm bedtime. And they wake up 12 hours later. It doesn't matter what the clock says. I know this concept well. This isn't my first time experiencing a time change with children. And yet I made a dumb mistake... Instead of going to bed so I could at least get the normal amount of sleep, I decided to stay awake until after midnight. Which is about two hours later than my usual bedtime!
As I laid down to go to sleep, I thought about how tired I was going to be in the morning. Sundays tend to be long days for us, so I like to get to bed early on Saturday evenings. I expected to wake up grouchy and frustrated, especially since it was our two-month-old's first night in his own room. But when I woke up this morning, I felt great! And my day was great! How in the world did I go to sleep so late, not get to gain an extra hour of sleep, and still wake up happy?
Because I realized that I didn't need an extra hour of sleep. Or an extra hour of tv time. Or an extra hour to myself. I was given the privilege to be a mom for an extra hour today. I got to wake up early and enjoy time with my husband and children. I got ready for service in plenty of time, listened to a wonderful sermon, took advantage of some great Christmas shopping deals, took a nap with my son, and attended our awesome Community Group. I realized that sleep doesn't matter as much as having more time to be with the people that mean the most to me. My goal now is to remember every day that I've been given the gift of time with my family, and I pray that I use that time wisely and help my family to grow strong together.
I guess time changes aren't that bad after all. Sometimes they give you a better outlook on life.
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