“There is no greater power on this earth than story.” ~ Libba Bray
I turn off the light and we snuggle under our favorite furry blanket. Flashlights in hand, we attempt to silence our chatter and giggles. After we’ve shared our favorite moments of the day, we begin our much-anticipated voyage to faraway places and magical kingdoms.
But first...
I’m told we need to select a few trusted guides for this journey from a rather large collection of stuffed animals. She selects three: a unicorn, a giraffe, and a kitten. The most courageous of the flock, I suspect.
She relaxes and leans her head against my shoulder as I begin to read tonight’s adventure. The room is cozy and dark with only the moon and our flashlights illuminating our faces and the pages that show us the way. This is 'magic hour'; precious time we set aside to travel together to enchanted places.
On the wings of imagination, we meet brave heroes, kind princesses, and many plucky unicorns who save the day – another happy ending in a tale as old as time.
Too soon, her head gets heavy on my shoulder and the unicorn, giraffe, and kitten slip out of her grasp, relieved of their duties for the night. I kiss her forehead and gaze at her sweet, sleeping face one more time. Then I turn off the flashlights and tuck her into her unicorn sleeping bag.
Silently, I leave our snug little space – already looking forward to the next time we meet for magic hour.