There are times when I wake at about 3:30 am. After a sip of water, I resettle myself and soon realize sleep will not return. When the weather allows, my windows are open so I fall asleep to cicadas, crickets or night bird songs. When I awaken in the wee hours, the night is still. So still that I can hear the white noise in my own head. In recent months I have found that it is getting easier for me to dissolve into this soft inner sound and return to sleep.

When sleep does not come, I simply have to surrender to the experience of resting without sleeping. This is called practicing restful awareness. I am grateful that frustration no longer arises when this happens. I have learned to meditate, pray for others or seek the inner wisdom I am needing for a decision.

The world is so unbelievably still during these hours. A gentle reminder that I also am created and designed for stillness. It is my fundamental nature, my True Self, the essence of my be-ing. It has...