"Goodnight, God"

Doah has been sleeping on our couch while we are waiting to find a new group home for him. (That event may be very soon, ilhamdu Allah/Thank God.) Last night I spent time on the couch beside him, perseverating on computer work until the wee hours of the morning, unlike on the weekday nights when I usually tumble into bed before Doah goes to sleep because I have to get up early and go to work -- and, of course, for now, he does not.

It has been years since I have watched Doah go to sleep. As a child, he would make a nest of blankets under my desk and sleep there. As a mentally challenged child, he did not think of the world in the same terms as those around him, and I always wondered what his teachers thought of us as parents if he told them that he slept in a nest!

Since Doah was right beside me, I could see him drifting off to sleep as his breathing slowed and became regular. Right before he totally zonked out, I heard him whisper, "Goodnight, God." Then he was unwakeably asleep for the rest of the night.

Once he no longer slept in a nest, I no longer observed him falling asleep -- and it has been years since his nesting days. So, I was unaware that he always says goodnight to God.

How funny! So do I! It must be in the genes!

I always say good morning to God, too. I consider it a prayer of sorts, albeit a very short one. I wonder if Doah, who is usually up before I am, does the same? I bet he does! After all, it's in the genes!