Elmo in the Middle of the Night

    While visiting my in-laws this weekend, my wife and I were awakened by a voice, the source of which we could not find.  It was a familiar TV personality voice, and it said, “Let’s learn our alphabet.  A, B, C...X, Y, Z.”  Elmo had invaded our bedroom.               
    Our daughter was sleeping in a bed beside us, so we rustled through the many stuffed animals and blankets which surrounded her.  (“Let’s learn our alphabet...,” the toy continued.)  We found nothing.  We looked behind the bed, our daughter sleeping the whole time of course, and couldn’t find anything.  Then, it stopped.  Silence.  Ahh, sleep.
    We turned off the dim light we’d turned on for the search, and just about the time our brains were to pass from consciousness to sleep waves, “Let’s learn our alphabet...”  Determined to find the thing, we went through the whole routine again...to no avail.
    After the fourth or fifth bout of this, we had pinpointed the area around which the sound was coming, and there was nothing there, except a window, on the other side of which is the utility room.  This room holds more than just washer, dryer, and utility sink.  This room also acts as a storage area, and much of what is stored there sits in a small alcove just on the other side of this window.
    Yes, I know I should have put two and two together quicker, but it was 4 AM and my brain doesn’t work quite so fast in the dark.  I’m a morning person but not an “insanely early” morning person!
    I made my way through the house to the utility room, and there was the culprit – a Sesame Street learning board, shaped like a little red schoolhouse, complete with Big Bird, Elmo, and “ABC” buttons which, when pressed, produce the sounds of the letters.  In looking at its positioning, I couldn’t see anything touching it nor any indicators as to why it was randomly going off, however, when I removed it from the room and placed it far away from any sleeping headquarters, it stopped speaking.
    I made my way back to bed and all was quiet.  The problem is, once I’ve gotten my allotted 6-7 hours, my REM sleep for the night is unattainable.  I laid there for almost an hour, but like the earlier search for Elmo...to no avail.

    So I sit and share another vignette from my life, but I also have some time, some extra, unscheduled time, to simply be.  To sit in the quiet and share my thoughts with God, and to mull over again what it means to watch, wait, and anticipate His coming again. 
    It’s amazing how unexpected voices in the middle of the night...or the day...can make way for unexpected blessings.  Thank you God.

    I invite you to say this prayer: “God, I dare You to wake me up to life with an unexpected voice.  Amen.”