Every once in a while, the planetary structures all come together in just the right moment for a full moon to pass through the Earth's shadow at night, when the sky is free of clouds and the stars are on their best behavior. A child can stay up past bedtime, crouched on the edge of his bed and silently participate in this rare universal phenomenon called a lunar eclipse. Somehow, as he yawns and stretches, he knows that this night is special and before he sleeps, he tucks this memory far into the folds of his mind where only treasures like this are allowed.......

Sitting at the top of the stairs outside my daughter's bedroom door tonight, I felt that same sense of awe. I paused long enough to process the pieces of this unique day that made up this moment in time: First of all, Wynn, my 12 year old son, was clear today. If you have a child with autism, you probably know what I mean. Because Wynn is quite challenged with his disability, it can often be hard to see the boy within. But today, his eyes were calm, he laughed at my silly jokes, he asked real, novel questions and waited for their answers. He reminisced about swimming and jumping on the bed and asked to watch home movies "from the old days". He said "no thank you" to more chili and "please, please!" to more apple pie. He sang Christmas carols into a dollar-store microphone and lay his head on my lap long enough for me to lean close and smell his hair.

After dark, my 11 year old Haley called out for a snuggle. She had worn herself out in the day and was too tired to even ask for supper. I found her hidden beneath five layers of cotton, flannel and wool, buried away from the chill of November in Maine. Scrunching over, she lifted the blankets and invited me into the warmth and we wiggled and squirmed until we found perfect comfort--my arms around her chest, her pony-tailed head on my shoulder and my legs folded like a capital L behind hers. I held her until my arms tingled and her breathing deepened, then I gently backed away, leaving my kiss on her nose.

Stealing an abandoned piece of Halloween candy from the top dresser drawer, I sat down by the stairs and carefully unwrapped my treat. Ahead of me, barely visible through the dark, I saw a Shepherd, framed and matted on the wall, carrying a lamb back to the fold. His eyes made promises to all the mama sheep...to guard, to seek out, to bring home......

The fragrance of burning hardwood drifted up the staircase and I listened as my husband hummed in perfect pitch and stoked the fire inside the black woodstove....

Children are sleeping, husband is humming, the Shepherd is guarding.....and the chocolate in my Milky Way is smooth and sweet. tonight.