"Call Me If You Need Me!"

Daniel and I have little rituals that we do with Rivers at night to get her to wind down and settle into bed. After bathing, reading a Bible story or two and a few books, brushing her teeth, and climbing into bed, she lies down with her giraffe blanket and her green Bible. We sing two Christmas songs: "Away In a Manger," "Silent Night," and "Holy, Holy, Holy." (The Christmas songs got started because we used to read the Christmas Story almost every night.) Then, Daniel prays (as Rivers inserts friends and family to pray for), I lean down to kiss her and say all of our "good nights" and "I love yous," and then Daniel kisses her and does the same. Daniel ends by saying, "Call me if you need me." She used to say, "Okay, Daddy," in response to this, but one night, she replied, "You call me if you need me, too, Daddy!" Ever since that night, she tells each of us to call her if we need her, and it just makes us SMILE! She's such a compassionate little girl; I think she really means it!