You Are Allowed to Rest Tonight

The house is finally quiet, but your hands are still trembling from the weight of holding someone else up all day. You have poured out everything you had until there was nothing left but the hollow ache of exhaustion.

The light does not ask you to fill the cup again tonight. It knows you are empty, and it is not disappointed.

There was a man who healed the sick all day until the crowds pressed in, but very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he slipped away to a solitary place just to breathe. He did not stay to fix everything.

He withdrew because even the light needs to rest. You are allowed to put the burden down.

The one you care for is held by a love greater than your own failing strength. Stop trying to be the sun for someone else when you are allowed to be a child of the dawn.

The watch is over for tonight. Close your eyes.

The light will keep the vigil while you sleep.