Namaste and welcome.
Thank you for joining me at bedtime.
This is quickly becoming one of my favourite times of the day.
This bridge between the day world and the night world.
I have a story to share with you today.
It is one of my family's favourites.
But first,
I want to tell you why I love the night so much.
I love how the colours of the world change.
How the sun sets in a sea of pink and orange and sunset blue.
And then how it transitions from there into deep dark purple with twinkling stars and a bright and beautiful moon.
I love that it is a time for the night animals to rule the world.
The raccoons come out to look for food here in BC Canada and sometimes we can hear the owls hoot.
Our cat,
Jones,
Goes a bit wild at this time and runs all around the house.
Our leopard gecko,
Georgie,
Comes out for a look around.
She is nocturnal.
Night is her day.
What are the night animals in your corner of the world?
What do you think they are doing right now?
One more thing that I love about night time is how the temperature drops.
It gets colder.
It becomes a time for blankets and cosy night clothes.
Our amazing brains produce a chemical called melatonin to make us feel drowsy and to prepare us for the world of dreams.
Now let's get comfy in our beds.
It's time for a story.
This one is called Guess How Much I Love You.
It is written by Sam McBrattney.
It is about two rabbits.
Did you know that another name for a rabbit is a hare?
The hares in this story are named Big Nut Brown Hare and Little Nut Brown Hare.
This is the story of the lovely way that they say goodnight to each other.
Guess how much I love you.
Little Nut Brown Hare,
Who was going to bed,
Held on tight to Big Nut Brown Hare's long ears.
He wanted to be sure that Big Nut Brown Hare was listening.
Guess how much I love you,
He said.
Oh,
I don't think I could guess that,
Said Big Nut Brown Hare.
This much,
Said Little Nut Brown Hare,
Stretching out his arms as wide as they could go.
Big Nut Brown Hare had even longer arms,
But I love you this much,
He said.
Hmm,
That is a lot,
Thought Little Nut Brown Hare.
I love you as high as I can reach,
Said Little Nut Brown Hare.
I love you as high as I can reach,
Said Big Nut Brown Hare.
That is very high,
Thought Little Nut Brown Hare.
I wish I had arms like that.
Then Little Nut Brown Hare had a good idea.
He tumbled upside down and reached up the tree trunk with his feet.
I love you all the way up to my toes,
He said.
And I love you all the way up to your toes,
Said Big Nut Brown Hare,
Swinging him up over his head.
I love you as high as I can hop,
Laughed Little Nut Brown Hare,
Bouncing up and down.
And I love you as high as I can hop,
Smiled Big Nut Brown Hare,
And he hopped so high that his ears touched the branches above.
That's good hopping,
Thought Little Nut Brown Hare.
I wish I could hop like that.
I love you all the way down the lane,
As far as the river,
Cried Little Nut Brown Hare.
I love you across the river and over the hills,
Said Big Nut Brown Hare.
That's very far,
Thought Little Nut Brown Hare.
He was almost too sleepy to think anymore.
Then he looked beyond the thorn bushes out into the big dark night.
Nothing could be farther than the sky.
I love you right up to the moon,
He said,
And closed his eyes.
Oh,
That's far,
Said Big Nut Brown Hare,
That is very very far.
Big Nut Brown Hare settled Little Nut Brown Hare into his bed of leaves.
He leaned over and kissed him goodnight.
Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile,
I love you right up to the moon,
And back.
The end.
What a sweet way to say goodnight to each other.
Big Nut Brown Hare and Little Nut Brown Hare sure do love each other a lot.
Now it is almost time for me to say goodnight to you.
Snuggle up under your covers.
Imagine that your bed is a magical carpet.
It can lift you up gently into the sky and into the comfortable world of rest and sleep.
A land of soft pillows,
Lullabies,
And dream adventures.
Before you leave for this world,
Take a minute to let your questions,
Thoughts,
And concerns about the day go up into the sky before you.
The dream world is very good at finding new and interesting ways of approaching the issues from the day.
I want to thank you so much for joining me at this special time.
Sweet dreams,
Sweet hearts.
Namaste.
