Sand colored shades hid the playful sunbeams that warmed the chapel windows.

The room darkened like a forest floor at dawn, diffuse speckled light in the shadows.

A silence full of breathing souls echoed faintly through the halls of worship.

A reassuring hand gently caressed each supine spine, encouraging us to release the day.

Heartbeats slowed leaving space for the mind to wander and sleep to seep in.

One mat per child spaced evenly along Hope Lutheran's wall, we learned to rest.