“Before falling into sleep, remember the ordinary moments of the day, the moments with your children that meant something to you.  This simple exercise is like a spiritual corrective lens.  In your vision of your kids, it helps restore the prominence of ‘who they are’ over ‘what they need to do’ or ‘what they need to work on.’  Review the images; revisit the funny yet strangely insightful thing your daughter said, the gesture your son made that surprised you.  Think about how your little one climbed up on the bench by the window at three o’clock, somehow sensing that her sister’s bus would arrive soon.  Remember how your twins looked at the park, the newly minted freckles on their cheeks; their pride in mastering the jungle gym rings.  Remember the way your daughter looked minutes ago when you checked on her: horizontal on the bed with her arm flung back over her head, as though she had tried to outrun sleep.  Relive those moments, and give them their due.  Let the images rise to the surface of your day.  Let them fill the emotional waters that will lull you, in waves of appreciation and wonder, into sleep.”  Kim John Payne, Simplicity Parenting