Early Morning Gift

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

sunrise - July 26, 2011

I’ve spent a lot of time this summer taking photos of sunsets, here at home & with my grandson at the beach.  Whenever we’re going somewhere and it’s time for the sun to set, I take the camera. In the Rockies with the mountains to the west, the sunsets are indeed amazing. 

Yesterday morning I was up almost before the robins’ chirps, carried my coffee to the patio, and sat to watch the sky, light just arriving.   We live by a park and the backyard faces east, and there’s always a clear view that way, of sunrises, moonrises, etc. 

There is nothing like the gift of being alone for a while, contemplating so many ideas that roam around in my mind, taking them out one by one to examine them as with a magnifying glass, satisfying myself that each idea will be explored in its time, perhaps only a small chunk, until resolution.  As minutes rolled by, the sky grew lighter, a summer spread of clouds appeared in the east, flowing up above the horizon where the sun was to appear.  These clouds, like stretched cotton balls with a hint of lace at the edges, seemed only there to break the image of a clear sky. They were first gray with a hint of pink, and then the mixing colors turned the sky lavender.  The sun was on its way, I could tell.  Among the things on my mind, this moment carried me far back to people who greeted the sun with gratitude, appreciating that this precious thing had returned again. No longer do those in my culture celebrate the sun’s rising, but at this moment, I did send my own little message of thankfulness, for this beautiful sight at least, for the blessings of the day to come, the happy moments of my life and all that it encompasses.  The sky’s lavender faded, and the sun’s rays blew over the horizon, shooting up into the clouds, brightening now into gold.  The heat of the day began, and I turned into the house to start breakfast and call ‘good morning’ to my husband.