When the Night Feels Endless: Finding Grace at 5:30 a.m.

Last night, my son didn’t fall asleep until 1:45 a.m. And not the “stayed up too late watching cartoons” kind of night. The restless, overstimulated, flaring, pacing back and forth kind of night. The “I’m tired but I can’t settle” kind of night. The kind that frays your edges and humbles you to your bones. I stayed near. Gave him pressure. Prayed over him. Whispered gentle things. He finally fell asleep in the deep dark of night—and I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d get two hours of rest. But at 3:30 a.m., he woke up again. Then 4:15. And by 5:30 a.m., he was sitting up in bed, upset. Disoriented. Not able to explain why. Just distressed in that way I know too well. How I Navigate the Exhaustion (Not Perfectly) When your child can’t sleep, you don’t sleep. When your child is hurting, you carry it too—even when your tank is bone dry. So I moved like a ghost in the early light. I wrapped him in a heavy blanket I made him tea I rubbed oil on his feet and spoke softly I stayed calm even though my body felt like it was falling apart And when he finally calmed… I didn’t fall back into bed. I stayed up—for just seven minutes—to find me again. Seven Minutes of Peace I lit a candle in the kitchen. I poured myself coffee. I sat in silence. No fixing. No checking. No doing. Just breathing. Just being. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t part of some morning routine. But it was mine. It was quiet. It was grace. And I remembered: I don’t need a full hour of self-care to be okay. I just need a few sacred minutes to return to myself. If You’re There Too… If your night was long… If your body aches from carrying too much for too long… If your eyes burn and your heart feels invisible… I want you to know: You’re not alone. You’re not failing. You are fiercely loved by a God who sees even this. There is grace for this kind of motherhood. The kind that rocks a child at midnight and still lights a candle for herself at dawn. You are not forgotten. You are not broken. You are doing it—and that is enough. With you in the dark and the dawn, Rose Founder of Gracelink 🌷