Sighs

It is pitch black with a thousand twinkling diamonds dancing across the sky.

There are no clouds.

There is no wind.

It is a Silent Night ... a Holy one.

My bare feet are propped on the railing of the Beloved Back Deck as I stare at the Heavens.

It's four o'clock in the morning.

Sarah's sound asleep in bed with Winston The Little Gay Dog curled up beside her.

Next door our neighbor has two televisions on though I can't hear them through her open windows and I can't tell if she's asleep in her bedroom or passed out on the Living Room sofa ... either way she's fighting loneliness.

A scratch on the door jerks my head to the side and there's Goddess ... as she always is ... ready to share whatever it is I'm shouldering.

I let her out and she sighs heavily while collapsing by my side.

My hand naturally drops from the deck chair so I can rub the golden fur quickly turning white as she ages.

Silent Nights ... Holy Nights ... are mostly restless Nights.

I can't sleep ... don't want to wake Sarah ... am really glad Goddess is giving me company ... especially thankful God painted such a nice sky.

Everything running around in my head starts with ... "Why"?

Obviously satisfied with the nighttime sky ... God's got nothing to say.

I sigh heavily and say the purest of prayers ... "Oh!" ... and my heart breaks a little because there are things I desperately want but just can't make happen.

Goddess jumps up and slams her butt into my arm.

"STOP," I tell her ... but she doesn't ... wagging her tail ... repeatedly hitting me until I stand in frustration.

She scratches the door to lead me back inside.

Panting ... Goddess hurries to our bedroom and lay on the side of the bed where's Sarah and Winston TLGD are sleeping.

So I crawl in bed, hugging my wife who slurs, "Come back to bed" while rolling over and Goddess sighs heavily again.

And somewhere outside, though the open windows, I swear I hear God sigh
too.