Home Alone. Or Am I?

Back when Dan headed up the Senior High Youth Group at our church, he traveled a lot. I didn’t always go with him, so I’d be home alone with the boys. I could be home alone for a month at a time without him. I never liked it, but somehow I got through it. I don’t know how. But I did.

But now, he’s gone for a couple of days and I miss him terribly. The boys and I have managed to fill our time with fun things to do. But at night, when all is dark and the house is creaky, I really miss him.

I had just finished folding the laundry and crawled in bed. I turned on “Monk” and then I heard something. I paused the show. I heard it again. All the blood rushed to my head and I started sweating bullets. I got out of bed, slowly. Geez, I wish I had a baseball bat, or knife, or gun. I eased my way to the bedroom door and just stood there for a minute or two. Then I opened it and walked down the hall. I checked on the boys. Eli was lying sideways in his bed, so I might have just heard him rustling around in his bed. Then I heard the door of the next room open and close ever so slightly. It was the wind in this drafty old house. Curse you, drafty old house! But bless you for not being a burglar. I closed the door and ran down the stairs to turn on the light. I should grab the butcher knife. …Or maybe not, I have a tendency to be delirious in my sleep and might hurt myself. Or even worse, invite the burglar to use it on me while I was sleeping. 

Ah, the thoughts of an anxious pregnant woman. Alone. During a thunderstorm.

By the time I checked to make sure the doors were all locked and the Back Room roof wasn’t leaking, I’d forgotten about the knife. But I did leave the lights on downstairs. Not sure why since I’m not even down there. But somehow the light seemed likely to ward off bad guys.

My prayers for protection ever since I was a child brought visions of ginormous warrior angels lined up shoulder-to-shoulder completely surrounding the house in which I lived and slept. And that vision always gave me peace knowing that no enemy could ever break through that barrier. Tonight was no exception. I’ll sleep well knowing that I am protected by God’s army. And no over-active imagination can thwart that.