2:14 a.m. The tiny green light from the smoke alarm mocks my sleepless state. Did I remember to wash my grandson’s athletic uniform for class tomorrow? Do I have enough hamburger to make the casserole for dinner? Have I enough lunch money for the boys in my wallet? I need to remember to stop and get shampoo after work tomorrow. Work? The deadline for the report is due at the end of the week.

I turn over to shut out the nagging green light in the ceiling. It doesn’t work. I’m still wide awake, my mind a whirl with the schedule for tomorrow.

My back is to my sleeping husband. He’s snoring lightly, almost silently in his dream world. It soothes me, and I turn toward him to better listen to the steady rhythm. “I love you,” I whisper softly. He puffs and the rhythm continues. I smile.

Strong, dedicated, loyal—words to describe a man such as this. My mind clears and I remember…

…Alone after a life of raising two teenage boys by myself; alone and confused. What purpose now, I think. No one to love me; no one for me to love.

No matter. I will search for meaning with the time I have in front of me. I am determined. I will find my purpose and meaning in this life.

The old ways fall away from me. They offer no solution.

“No,” I say to my girlfriends. “I cannot see a future for my life in those things anymore. I want to go in a different direction.”

“One more time,” says my friend. “Just one more time.”

I go. only for her sake.  He saw me come in he told me. Knew the instant he saw me. I was his future. He was alone, waiting, waiting. For me.

Suddenly, there I was, he said. He knew.

We danced. Fit perfectly, no tension, just warmth.  I knew…I was home.

And so, here we are. Together. A life full of stress, busy with children and love; jobs and deadlines.

So shine away green light in the night. I have him. Steady and sure, no matter what is thrown his way. He scoops us up and cares for us all. Night and day, with love and without question. Never asking why. He just does.

He’s content with his purpose and suddenly, I am content with mine. I remember…

My eyes are heavy now. He works his magic even in sleep. My mind is clear. Whatever the trouble of the morrow, it doesn’t matter.

I have him.

Patty Wiseman is the author of the historical romance, An Unlikely Beginning.