It was a long night. 

Millie the Black Dog was lying under the quilt rack in our master bedroom. My bride slept soundly nearby. Ollie and I dozed in the den. He alternated between his cushion and his rug so that he could keep an eye on me. I wedged myself between a pillow and a pull-out table built into our sofa, seeking slumber in the most comfortable position I can find in this season of recovery from back surgery.

Millie the Black Dog and I have much in common. We are each hyper-aware of storms. We sense them before others, and we prepare for them out of respect for their power and danger. 

We keep the French doors to our bathroom closed when we sleep. Our neighbor is a trainer for the Texas Rangers. He often comes home after we go to sleep. The lights from his house shine into our bedroom and awaken us. 

This is why when the storm was too far off for human ears to hear, MBD (Millie the Black Dog) began pushing against the French doors to gain access to the master bathroom. She was checking to see if the door to the closet was open. It is quiet and safe from storms in there. 

Unfortunately for her, the closet was firmly shut. MBD then began testing all of her favorite hiding places to escape the lightning flashes and booming thunder. 

She enjoys sleeping in the bathtub in the guest bathroom upstairs. She slips behind the shower curtain and revels in the cooling nature of the porcelain combined with the darkness provided by the curtain and its plastic liner. 

This is normally a good plan. However, this unexpected storm was unwelcomely hostile. The winds were fierce. The lightning was constant. The thunder never ended. 

MBD did not feel secure in her fortress. She dashed for the door and pushed it closed, which led to additional sound and fury. He who should not have been walking up and down stairs in the middle of the night in a storm after back surgery had to rescue The Black Dog. 

As I said, it was a long night. 

We stayed up two hours awaiting the end of the storm that was not forecast. The lightning eventually faded. The thunder resonated with the timbre of comfort as it rumbled so far away. Ollie Collie, Millie Black Dog, and I were finally able to sleep again. 

A nap is in the forecast for today. We all three agree on this. 

It’s a hard task, to be sure, but we will master it with God’s help. 

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I will nap with my professional napping companions.

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Our Father, thank you for safety in storms, in recovery, and in lying down to sleep. Amen.