When I went to bed last night, it was a little earlier than usual so I could try and catch up on sleep. The previous two nights of slumber had not been very good, and feeling tired all day Wednesday, I knew I wanted to try and get some extra rest Wednesday night.

At 3:45 Thursday morning, though, my eyes popped open, and I couldn’t seem to go back to sleep, so I picked up my tablet and read some news online for a little while, and then thinking it might help, I moved to the recliner in the living room, where I thought I might try to sleep again. Once comfortable in the chair, my little girl cat hopped up on the armrest and then laid down across my lap. I pet the soft hair on her back as I dozed off.

And suddenly, I was in a movie theater, holding the hand of a small 3 year-old girl. I picked her up and carried her to the front of the concession stand and under neon lights in the dark hall, got us some popcorn. I held her hand as we left the lobby and walked into a theater. She had straight blond-hair to the top of her neck and happy blue eyes and she smiled at me and looked about the theater with wonder. We took some seats and she leaned against me and fell asleep…

And then I was suddenly back in my chair in the living room. The cat had sought somewhere else to rest in the pre-dawn hour. I was groggy and unsure of what had happened and where I was, and for a long moment I looked for the little girl around me, until reality registered.

And I was sad as I fell back asleep in the chair.