Sleep

 

When I was young, it seemed like I was always sleepy.  Our entire family got up early because our dad left for work at 6:30 am.  And in college, I worked the late shift or midnight shift. Sleeping in the dorm during the daytime hours was impossible.  When Kathy and I were first married, again, I worked second and third shifts while finishing college.  And with each subsequent child was born, sleep became more and more precious.  Trips to Romania, Cameroon, and Ireland required seven-hour time changes – going over and then coming back.  But now that I’m turning seventy-five and retired and could catch up on my sleep, I just can’t sleep.  Just an old man’s problem.  Hey, I’ll just have to wait for heaven to catch up on my sleep.  Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 12:5 that “… desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home …”  The familiar epitaph is R.I.P.: Rest In Peace.  But wait, we’ll have perfect bodies in heaven, and there will be no need to sleep in heaven!  R.I.P. should mean Relax In Peace.