____
When my son was three years
old he was often squeamish about going to bed at night. Sounds outside
his window would conjure up all kinds of scenes of terror in his
little imagination.
One night he was awakened by the sound of crickets in the trees
and grass outside. I came to him to comfort him and finally got
him settled.
____
The following night, as I was putting him in bed, he said
that he didn't hear the crickets. He said that they must have gone
away and he hoped they wouldn't return. I was in the midst of explaining
to him why the crickets were nothing to fear when it dawned on me.
I actually find comfort in the cricket sounds. I decided to share
this with him.
____
"When something scary, like a big sound or an animal comes
around, the crickets get suddenly silent. It is their way of hiding
from whatever it is that frightens them. So, the crickets' noise
is really a good sound; a kind of signal that says 'all is well'."
____ I don't know if he really understood
my message, but I never heard him cry out for me in fear that night.
In fact, all I heard was the song of the crickets.
© 2004 - The Trill
House
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