Welcome.
As you lay here warm and safe,
Tucked up in your beds,
I wonder if you could imagine what it might be like to take a deep breath.
And as you try and take this nice deep breath,
Just begin to notice how much air you can take in,
How much your chest moves.
And if you gently place your hands on your chest with each deep in-breath,
You might feel your hands beginning to warm and soften and relax.
You might even notice the feel of your heart beat underneath your hands.
And I wonder if you can allow your back to move,
Arms to stretch,
Your legs to wiggle as you find the most comfortable place,
The most comfortable position to relax and get ready for a beautiful night's sleep.
You might even imagine the colors outside,
The colors of a beautiful sunset as the sun sinks slowly and heavily to a beautiful,
Deep horizon.
I wonder if you could imagine what colors might be in the sky.
Perhaps reds,
Blues,
Deep purples and orange.
And as you begin to imagine what it might be like to breathe in those beautiful colors of the sunset,
Sinking down low on the horizon.
I'm wondering if you could think of a special person,
Someone you love and care for very much.
And as you remember the sound of their voice,
The things that you do together,
The fun that you have,
The feelings you feel.
I wonder if you could feel it in your heart right now,
Remembering a special memory.
I wonder if you can feel the stirring in your heart,
Feeling it in your chest.
And every time you think of your special person and how much love you feel for them and they feel for you,
You might even feel it growing stronger and stronger.
Every in-breath,
Feeling deeper and deeper love and connection.
And as you feel that loving feeling growing in your heart,
I'd like to tell you a story.
A story that is told of a time long,
Long,
Long ago.
The story is about the beautiful moon and how she was frightened every night of being left all alone in the dark night sky.
That beautiful moon was terrified of the dark,
Scared of being left by the beautiful bright sun.
Every night,
That beautiful moon would toss and turn and cry out for the light and the friendship of the sun.
Far down below,
People on earth could hear her cries all through the night.
They'd feel her tears raining down upon them and wonder how they could help.
And every night,
The people would talk and talk late into the night,
Wondering what they could do,
Wondering how they could help.
And they thought and they talked and they talked some more.
And then,
Late one night,
A little girl was lying in her bed listening to the moon sobs and wishing that she and a friend could visit her.
She wished that they could send their loving kindness to the moon to keep her company,
To help her feel safe.
The little girl closed her eyes and wished and wished.
She thought of her very best friend and how happy she felt when they played together with their toys,
How happy and excited they felt when they sang their favorite songs,
How great it was to share their stories and make each other laugh.
And as she lay there,
She breathed very,
Very deeply,
Filling her heart with all that love and happiness.
The little girl felt so much love in her heart that soon she felt a tingling and a flutter in her chest and she felt her mouth begin to smile,
A very wide smile.
Until very,
Very slowly,
She began to notice she was feeling lighter and lighter.
And the more love she felt in her heart,
The freer and happier,
Calmer and safer she felt.
I wish I could take this feeling to the moon,
She thought.
And as she wished and closed her eyes,
She began to notice that her arms felt heavy,
That her arms felt light,
That her arms felt heavy and light all at the same time.
And she began to notice that her legs felt heavy,
Her legs felt light.
Her legs actually felt heavy and light all at the same time.
And she began to wonder if she really was in a deep,
Deep sleep.
She could no longer feel the bed beneath her.
And it almost seemed as she was in a deep,
Deep dream.
There was this feeling like she was floating.
And she began to feel that she was actually floating through the window and out into the dark,
Dark night.
And all that love that she carried in her heart grew stronger and brighter with each deep in-breath.
The love that she had felt was carrying her higher and higher,
Up and up,
Drifting and floating,
Gently,
Softly,
Higher and higher.
And as she thought of her special friend,
She noticed that she was beginning to glow with a beautiful,
Bright white light.
And the higher she floated,
The happier she felt.
The moon stopped sobbing and said,
Oh,
How wonderful.
You've come to play with me.
The young girl smiled and promised that she would stay until the sun came up.
But how did you get here,
Asked the moon.
I just thought of how lovely it would be to share my friends with you,
She said,
To make you laugh and smile,
So that we can love and care for each other.
I so want you to be happy.
And as I felt these happy thoughts and thought of my favorite friend,
I began to float just thinking about it.
The moon was so happy,
She rejoiced.
And the moon and the girl danced around the sky,
Sending trails of light and laughter wherever they went.
And when she awoke the next morning,
The villagers were all talking.
The moon,
The moon,
They shouted.
The moon,
She didn't cry.
Did you notice she was happy last night?
Did you see that small light?
It was dancing in the sky.
What was it?
What was it,
They all called.
The little girl told them of her adventures that night,
Of how she thought of her friend and sent all her love and care to the moon.
How they played and danced and sang and sent bright,
Beautiful light out into that dark sky.
Dancing and playing.
It was so much fun,
She said.
You should try it.
And ever since then,
Each and every night,
Millions of children all around the world take deep,
Deep breaths when they're lying tucked up safe in their beds.
And they send loving thoughts to their family and friends,
Breathing deeply,
Relaxing their arms and legs.
And beginning to notice that some parts of their bodies are feeling a little bit lighter.
Some parts are feeling a little bit heavier.
And some parts feel a little bit lighter and a little bit heavier,
All at the same time.
They notice that there's a feeling of tingling and happiness in their chests.
And as that loving feeling grows,
They become lighter and lighter until they too are floating higher and higher,
Moving gently,
Moving sleepily,
Deeper and deeper into the deep,
Dark night sky.
And all those millions of children,
Surrounded by their own special lights,
Floating and drifting.
And each and every starry light they see is playing with the moon and sharing their love.
And the night is filled with the love and sounds of happy laughter.
And as all those million stars drift and float,
Playing hide and seek in a blanket of soft darkness,
Feeling safe and loved,
So very,
Very happy.
Feeling relaxed as they float and drift higher and higher with every happy memory,
With every happy feeling.
Maybe now you can imagine the moon,
Surrounded by a million shining stars,
A million wishes,
A million children,
Each wanting to share and play as they dream and drift,
Tucked up warm in their beds.
Do you dream and drift with your arms sometimes heavy,
Sometimes light?
You might begin to allow these loving thoughts to come.
Sometimes they sneak up on you as you feel that relaxed,
Safe feeling.
The feeling of being held by someone who loves and cares for you.
Feeling the warmth of the blankets all around you.
Feeling comfortable,
Feeling dreamy.
You might even imagine what it feels like to drift up,
Up,
Up.
Feeling safer,
Lighter,
Dreamier.
Floating and drifting and dreaming into the light of a million shining stars.
Each one shining bright,
Just like you.
Each one floating safely in darkness.
Each one singing their favorite songs to the moon.
And as you feel lighter and heavier,
Heavier and lighter,
Allowing your eyes to drift and dream.
All that love you feel in your heart sent to the light of the moon.
All that love you feel in your heart sent to millions of stars,
Millions of children that are drifting and dreaming,
Safe and warm in their beds,
Sending their love to the light of the moon.
With each deep breath,
You relax deeper and deeper,
Sleepier and sleepier,
Safe and calm,
Sometimes heavy,
Sometimes light.
Feeling lighter,
Feeling calmer,
Safe in the stars,
In the light of the moon.
And as you drift and as you dream,
Safe in your room.
It's safe to wake when morning comes,
The beautiful colors,
The shining new sun lights.
Feeling that pink,
Feeling that yellow,
The blues and purples drifting away.
Breathing in all the colors when you're ready to wake with the light of a new day.
And it's so easy to stay in your bed,
Drifting and dreaming,
Warmed by the love of all the people you care about.
