Morning Hours

It must be possible that the soul made
Should absolutely meet the soul that makes;
Then, in that bearing soul, meet every other
There also born, each sister and each brother:
Lord, till I meet thee thus, life is delayed;
I am not I until that morning breaks,
Not I until my consciousness eternal wakes.

- George MacDonald

Rising before the sun allows you to appreciate the growing light and catch glimpses of the eastward glow.

With my head still on my pillow, I try to start each day with prayer. If we can be thankful for all the little things so mundane and everyday, our outlook is changed about everything else.

Lord, I thank You for this new day.

That is how to get out of the right side of bed. I need some light, so on goes the lamp.

Thank You, Lord, for the electricity to light my lamp. 

We take advantage of how we have as much electricity as we want here. I have some friends half-way across the world who are doing amazing things for neglected children there, and they have to plan around only half a day of electricity.

The same feeling of thanks rises in me as the darkness begins to melt away and I enter my kitchen to turn on my electric kettle. The water will come to a boil and I will pour it over freshly ground coffee beans in my french press.

You are the source of all things good and pure, O Lord.

A simple breakfast of cereal and fresh orange juice accompanies reading another chapter in Scripture. I continue where I left off yesterday. Right now, I am reading through the story of King David. So many thoughts and ponderings follow reading a chapter each day.

Your word, my Lord, is a lamp unto my feet.

Then, my coffee is ready. I pour the dark liquid into my mug, grab my pen, and journal for a little while. These are my morning pages of whatever may be swimming around in my head. I release the words onto paper to clear my mind and/or get ideas out that need some space to wander on the blank pages.

The sun rises over the horizon and my home illuminates the longer I write. This is when time flies, as my hand scribbles to fill pages. Many of them becoming prayers.

I am so deeply thankful for words, Lord. They express the contents of my heart and soul and they help my consciousness awaken to the eternal.