Peter and I were really tired last night so maybe that’s why we didn’t hear Kaylah start crying around 4 am this morning. By the time Aliyah came and told us that she was awake, Kaylah was really wailing! Peter went in first, and I stumbled in a minute or two later. We gave her calpol (tylenol) as we know she is teething and then Peter went back to bed while I changed her. She finally calmed down and went totally quiet, laying against my chest as I rocked her in the dark. After about five or ten minutes of rocking in the quiet room, Kaylah whispered one word, “Da-da,” repeating it gently a few times. Sometimes during the day Kaylah says, “da-da” in a questioning voice as if to ask, “Where is Daddy?” or “Is that noise that I hear Daddy coming through the door?” But last night there was no question in her voice. She said it as if to say, “I know Daddy is near and everything is OK now.” Or maybe it was, “I was crying in the dark and Daddy came and rescued me.” As I sat rocking her for a few more minutes, I thought about my heavenly Father. I can call Him, “Abba . . . Daddy.” I know He is always with me and that makes everything OK. Even when I am in the “dark” I can cry out “Daddy” and I know He will hold me and help me. As I rocked Kaylah, my heart was full with love for her and love for my Father. This morning I read I Peter 1:8 – “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible . . . ” I can’t wait to see Him face to face someday. In the meantime I will continue to love Him and rejoice in His presence with me . . . even in the dark.
Whispering “Daddy” in the Dark
