Friday, January 15, 2010

sleep for the grieving mom

i used to sleep so well. i have never been one to have trouble falling, or staying asleep.
but now my nights consist of trying for sometimes hours to get to sleep, between thinking (pray), fretting (pray some more), crying (pray some more), remembering (pray), imagining (PRAY)...
then, sometimes only an hour later i am up, sweating and sometimes crying from bad dreams. some are full of anger and violence, some full of death, some of sadness and betrayal. sometimes they are mearly chaotic and draining- but they are never good. i wake up several times each night, sometimes every hour on the hour. sometimes i fall back to sleep quickly, sometimes it takes up to three hours.
i am reminded of my favorite poem and this line from it-
"Your sleep is a dirty torn cloth."

and the aching for my baby in my arms, bearable in the daytime, overwhelms my senses at night.. sometimes i am sure i can hear crying in the house...
and i am reminded of another line from that same poem...

"but a baby
any baby
your baby is
the
most perfect human thing you can ever touch
translucent"

it seems unfair that i cannot even escape to sleep. what i would give for a sweet dream where i am holding Aquila (alive...) is that too much to ask? just one dream??

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, Liz, what I wouldn't give for you to have that dream -praying.

Anonymous said...

Lord,I pray for Liz. Please give her peace and comfort everyday. You are the same yesterday, today and forever. everyday is a fresh mercy so let Your tender mercies come to her every single day. Even each needed moment. Your grace is abundant and never ending. may she have assurance that Your mercy and strength is from everlasting to everlasting. Send forth Your mercy and Your truth, let them continually lead Liz and preserve her.
isaiah 57:15
isaiah 66:1-2
psalm 57:1-3
psalm 16:8
psalm 17:5,8
psalm 18:4-6
Love you so much
siobhan(thru wendi's account)

Marisol said...

Lord, please give Liz the desire of her heart, for she delights in you. Give her rest, peace, and comfort.
"In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety."
Psalm 4:8
Lord, keep her safe from the enemy invading her thoughts...you alone can do it.

Love you Liz.
Marisol

Annie said...

So sorry for the horrible nightmares and grief you are suffering. It's such a shock ending up at the worst time of your life when you'd thought this would be one of the happiest times. I pray you find some peace.

The Non-Monogamist said...

Please talk to your dr. I lived on tylenol pm after my daughter died. Sleep didn't come easily for over 16 1/2 months. It was terrible.