My Morning

Oh there is such glory in the silence. I know, right? I mean, I'm up early and the kids are asleep and these are the moments when I can dream. I didn't even realize that I still had dreams left in me. My moments of the noisy day are spent organizing, coordinating, hesitating, dreading, cleaning, emailing, work calls, fussing at the dog, wondering why there are so many more weeds in my yard this year..... but the silence. The boys are still sound asleep. The sun is up and little birds feed themselves around my flower garden. The chipmunk comes to the low bird feeders and he stores food for the winter. Where does he go in the winter anyway?

The early morning quiet is when I do some bible study. Mornings like this as there is a countdown for my next trip, I think about those kids. I think about the Africa air, the calls of unfamiliar birds, and the eyes of the strangers I will come in contact who will first take me for a mean white person, and then will soften when they quickly realize I have a smile and a softness toward them.

I hear the sounds of dirty laundry sitting, waiting, needing to be tended to. I hear the sounds of the coffee maker, as it sits still and cradles my warm delight. Oh how rare the silence is, and how much I love it.

Shawn wakes with a growl. It's a soft, lonely growl. I think it is equivalent to the morning stretch. He springs forth and approaches the top of the stairs, spots me with an extra large grin, and he slowly descends the stairs toward me in the garden chair. The closer he gets to me the faster he travels. His arms reach and his smile transitions to that look of anticipation and knowing that he is about to receive the best.morning.snuggles.ever. He pulls up. I help. He straddles my waist facing me, inserts the thumb into his mouth, leans left onto my right shoulder while my arm cradles his precious little body. He stares into my eyes with a sweet smile forming around his thumb, for 5 minutes, in beautiful silence.