A voice wakens me
out of my sleep
and as I peer at my alarm clock
I can see the time –
4.00 am.

Downstairs, in her room,
alone and in the dark,
Dolores is chatting away
to an imaginary friend.
I go downstairs
just to make sure
that everything is okay.

As soon as I enter the room
I can see that Dolores needs help
so I roll up my sleeves and set to work.
Some time later
we’re both sitting chatting
and tucking into tea and toast.

It’s such an unlikely time
for a chat and a snack
but as I sit there
I have a sense
that what I am doing
is really important work –
God’s work.

Biting into her toast
Dolores bows her head
and softly says, “Jesus, help me.”
and I realise
that God answered this prayer
at 4.00 am
long before it ever crossed
Dolores’s lips.

Lord,
bless our wee family
as we care for Dolores day by day
in so many practical ways.
Remind us
that carrying out each simple task
may we be
the answer to a prayer
(especially when it means
getting up out of our beds
at 4.00 am).

© Claire Murray, 25th November 2018