There are several things which are indicators to me that I have some lovely structure in my life. This structure helps me to get focused and pay attention, as well as to reflect on how my day needs to begin. Actually, in this morning structure there is a certain sense of freedom, a marker and testament to the fact that I have some leisure time to be in a quiet space and mull over my life and its sensations. It wasn’t always like this; for so many years I had to rise very early, hustling to get ready for work, getting kids to school etc. I enjoyed those years. It meant that I was alive and functioning. I had purpose and opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. But those years were also extremely busy and at times, there was more chaos than value to the activities which seem to have a life of their own. It can be said it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. They are past me now. I have settled into a different type of morning routine. It is quieter, more peaceful and full of opportunity.
As I sit in front of my computer, writing this down to share with you, I have my wonderful cup of coffee with me. I know some are not coffee drinkers. But for me, it is a bit of my morning… beginning…the preparation, the brewing, the pouring and then the enjoyment of its aroma as I begin to take my first few sips. So, why is this such an important topic for me today?
During these early morning moments there is time. There is time to think, reflect, organize, and direct myself to the quality of the day. It is my time to pay attention before the day gets away from me. It is a time for me to center and to balance myself spiritually and to set my intentions for the flow of the day. I ask the Great Spirit and my Higher Self to help the rest of me pay attention and to understand what is important and what is not important. I reflect on what is necessary and what is not and I help myself to be open to whatever might be important for me today. I ask to get out of my own way and allow the flow of the Divine to direct my way. It is my ritual and for me it works.
However, there is a deeper reason for this bit of sharing. When I am up in NW Nebraska, my friends, Regina and Jerry and I have the same ritual as well. The mornings are early because the sun starts its daily journey around 5 am up in that territory of the US during the summer (however, I still wait until at least 6 or 6:30 to rise). Regina is up and getting the coffee going, the dogs are out and about with their first morning romp and Jerry has perused the internet for communication from family and friends on FB, as well as morning headlines. Their home is 13 miles from town, much of it on a dirt road which fares well in the dry weather but becomes an interesting slippery mud-sloshing adventure during the heavy rains. Their wood frame house is surrounded by the most beautiful, engaging scenery of rocky buttes and horizons painted by the sun’s artistic mood. When the sun is covered by clouds there is an equally stunning series of configurations to be seen. It is simply breathtaking. We sit there, feeling the absolute beauty and grace of this land, the safe company of long time friends and feel the blessings which life has brought to us, even through the darkest of times. We sit in the kitchen dining-area and everywhere we look we have Mother Earth’s beauty to remind of us of who we are and what we have to be grateful for. On those mornings when the weather is good, we sit out on the deck which surrounds their home, taking in the early morning sounds of the many varieties of birds putting their nests together for their new families. And then the most important part of it all: we listen. We are still, quiet, observant. There is a myriad of life singing to the day as it begins. It is church. It is sanctuary. It is God. As we sit with our cups of coffee, enjoying the beauty of the world and our friendship, we ponder on life, with all its good and bad and ups and down, and we come to the same conclusion: we made it.
As I sit here now, with only the memory of those incredible mornings, I am back there in my mind’s eye. The birds are singing outside of my window, my coffee is good and I hear Jerry sharing a funny story, Regina’s lovely voice asking me how I slept the night before, the dogs pleading with me to play with them…and I realize, once again how grateful, lucky and blessed I am. For I have made it…I have survived. I have lived to tell the tales. My grand kids will be up soon. My dear friend, Roy, is over here to put a new ceiling fan together. I will see a client in a couple of hours and it will be hot. But, through it all I am alive. I have incredible memories and beautiful stories to tell of healing and resurrection. Let it begin. It is time to tell those stories. It is time to share. It is time to reach out and paint those word pictures, if only to remind myself where I have come from and what is still left for me to experience.