Early Hours!

I was up in the night again. I sleep well as long as I don't turn onto my side - either side, as when I do I get the most excruciating pain right down my left leg, from my buttocks to my big toe. It's like a red hot lightning strike ripping through my leg and then it throbs and there is nothing else for it but to get up and move about. The physio, Karl (with a K!) has explained that I have some bulging discs in my lower back and as I sleep they fill with fluid which sort of presses them onto the nerves and traps them; well, in this case the sciatic nerve which runs the length of my leg.
So, rather than lying moaning and whimpering and keeping Duncan awake, I get up, make a cup of tea and read and pray. As I commented on Face book this morning, I then have the luxury of returning to bed to catch up on missed sleep. This I did this morning and slept until 9.30, when I turned over and was woken again by the pain.
There is something about the early hours of the morning that is peaceful and very restful - when you aren't having to worry about a day at work after a sleepless night, of course. It makes me remember a book I used to read to Harry when he was very young, called "In the Middle of the Night". A lovely book which showed all sorts of things which go on in the wee small hours when the rest of the world is sleeping. I remember the page which showed people slipping quietly and peacefully away into death in the early hours; not a subject we usually deal with, especially in children's books, but beautifully dealt with in this case.
When I awake and it's not due to pain, when I simply wake up and am immediately wide awake, it's amazing to note that the numbers on my digital clock very often read 3:16! I always see that as a nudge to pray!