A sudden dimming of the ambient light makes us all look out the windows. An ominous black cloud, so thick it looks like a partially deflated Zeppelin has moved in and now dominates our horizon. Without a doubt, rain is imminent, and giving us a great reason for an afternoon nap. My husband, Glenn and I trade conspiratorial glances while our wide-eyed daughters stare at the enormous rain cloud with their lower lips hanging down. 

We knew we would get resistance from our girls even though a nap was something the whole family desperately needed. Like most families, we are a pretty busy bunch. But, every once in awhile we all need to take a pause, and the impending thunderstorm was all the reason we needed. 

“Let’s go downstairs, and have some quiet time,” suggests Glenn.

Kiele and Lani reluctantly descend the stairs. They start a whispered exchange, questioning how they are going to stop this from happening before they’ve gotten past the third step.

“I don’t want to take a nap,” declares Kiele, dramatically flinging her arms in the air.

“I’m not tired,” Lani announces in a defiant tone.

“All of us are going to nap together here on the king size bed,” Glenn states.

The girls freeze in mid-rebellion, pondering what they just heard. The thought of all of us napping together on one bed, that’s different. I think to myself, maybe this will work and we can get a nap without much of a fight.

“I want to sleep by Daddy,” Kiele admits.

“Me, too,” Lani follows her sister’s lead.

After some extended adjusting of the pillows and blankets, everyone gets settled in their spots. It doesn’t take long for the rain cloud to open up. Through the open window, I hear the rain dripping on the deck railing, and its sound is perfect for putting us to sleep. One of my daughters begins to snore, and the other joins in within minutes. One inhales as the other exhales. As they drift deeper into sleep, an asynchronous, off-key chorus begins. Kiele has a deep long snore as Lani’s is a short quick one. Their offbeat tune keeps me awake, so I reposition myself to try to muffle their song. It’s like a domino effect, everyone moves, and their new body positions end their snoring, so I doze.

When I awaken, Glenn is looking at me, smiling. He reaches to get closer. His outstretched arm crosses over our younger daughter to my back. I place my arm on top on his shoulder. We cradle our younger daughter who is still sleeping between us. I look down to gaze upon her dreamy face, watching and listening to her inhaling and exhaling breaths. I look at Glenn, and he is doing the same thing. I’m pretty sure I know what he’s thinking. Our youngest daughter is five-years-old, and watching her sleep between us, we both know these days are numbered.    

Kiele’s head pops up just behind Glenn’s back, beaming a grin. Glenn rolls over and she lies on his chest. The three of us lounge in complete relaxation, waiting for the last one to awaken. When Lani’s eyes open, she is perfectly content to stay right where she is, with the three of us smiling down on her. We inch closer together in one big family heap. We hug and snuggle. The storm has passed and the sun is already back out, but no one is in a hurry to move on to something else. There is an unspoken savoring of waking up together. The energy flowing around is pure love for one another. 

We didn’t need admission tickets to an amusement park, a walking trail on a sunny day or the warm, glistening waters of a swimming pool to have quality family time. Our time today required no talking or physical play, just a simple nap. The close proximity of our slumbering bodies was all our family needed.