Tucking an angel in

There's a little girls asleep in my home tonight who has been here for only three short days. I feel like she is a gift to me. Tomorrow she is visiting her mum who is in the final stages of life with a brain tumour. She hasn't lived with her mum for many years but has her photo beside her bed. A photo of her mum with her many years ago. Just after her mum first got sick. Her mum lives in a nursing home now, about four hours drive from here. The little girl has made her mum a pink card and put a photo of herself in it. It would break your heart to read it.

I have gone into her room to say goodnight each night and we've had a little chat. She told me the first night that no one had tucked her in for five years, since her mum did. She told me she was too big to be tucked in now. I said I didn't think so myself. I said we all like to be tucked in. We chatted and she talked about her life, her mum's illness, her mum dying soon. She had her arms folded and she was all curled up and sad. I stroked her hair and blessed her goodnight and sweet dreams.

Tonight I could see she was anxious about tomorrow. Scared what she would find. She hasn't seen her mum for ten weeks. We chatted and she cried and I comforted her and we talked about life and death and dying and angels watching over us and her mum. Then I offered to plait her hair and she nodded. I offered a hug and she opened her arms. She asked if she could keep the fluffy rabbit she found in her room. I said of course. She hugged her too. She said this is the first time in a long time she has enjoyed the school holidays. I told her how glad I was that she had come to stay with me. I blessed her goodnight and wished her sweet dreams.

Tonight I tucked an angel in and I am the one who is blessed.