Having traveled a few times near and far I have had my fare share of taking advantage of the dawn hour to watch the sunrise. I sort of force myself to do this. Sunsets are much more my thing. I love the closing of the day. I love the promise of what is to come. One morning almost 2 years ago (which is crazy), I woke up really early to watch the sunrise in Santorini. I had originally done it because someone I knew at the time loved sunrises- and so I thought I'd take some photographs for them. However, it became much more then just a photo opportunity for someone else. It became one of my most beloved mornings of my entire life. It was poignant, profound, silent, and still- and it connected me to something much bigger. It was amazing. The picture below is from that morning. As the sun rose to the left of the beach, dead center you could still see the sliver of the moon and one singular star. It was... just beautiful. The blog post from the time can be found here: Silence.
When I was in China last summer I sensed so many things shift and change in my heart, and one the most interesting was how much more peaceful I felt as the day would break and the sun would rise. The last few days before I returned home I went to Japan. Each morning I woke up so that I could watch the day come. I wrote about the experience on my other blog here: shine.
Since then I've continued to be mindful of the morning silence and stillness. I have bouts and periods of time when I am more concerned with sleeping in, or sleeping more. But during this season of Lent I've worked hard to be intentional with my morning time and what I focus my energy on.
I often crave that morning while in Greece. Sometimes in my mind I flash through my images of benches, and beach fronts I have absolutely loved-- but most times in my heart I return to the place below. Whispering back to those I love that were 7 hours behind me in the time, "I will hold the light for you." Truth is, I gathered all that I had learned that morning and placed it deeply in my heart. And when I needed it most, it broke through and light came back. Last summer, in Japan... the light returned... and it was the right and perfect perspective I needed.
Monday morning I woke up in a new place. It was bizarre. I went to bed with the house fan on, and the house was warm and cool at the same time through the night. It was like summer. A rain storm came and woke me up, and Gracie freaked out a little bit... but sleep was deep, restful, and restorative. It set up what became a very different day. Everything felt different. And... so the postcard below captures for me the gratitude for what can come in the morning, and reminds me that it shouldn't be missed.
(and yes Matt. I listened to part of the European Adventure play list while I wrote this).
"Standing around a willow weeping,
we were praying in the backyard.
In the chill of the night
the friendship light reminded me who we are
...who we are, who we are
Will you hold the light?
Will you hold the light for me?"
we were praying in the backyard.
In the chill of the night
the friendship light reminded me who we are
...who we are, who we are
Will you hold the light?
Will you hold the light for me?"
-caedmon's call, hold the light
4-12-11Today I woke up at 7:30am without an alarm. I snuggled with Gracie- and woke up slowly to the day. I was early leaving for work for the first time in months. Everything about this morning was tender and sweet. I listened to my iPod for the first time in ages. Its been hidden under my seat in the car. Now fully charged- I found my way to shuffle. Sometimes I had to skip. Some songs just can't be heard right now. And that's ok. It is what it is. Made my way through and found some classics. Tonight with the sunroof open and blasting "Flashing Lights" I sang. I drove towards one rainbow and through another- and then upon Lexington saw my 3rd. God's creativity and majesty never gets old. It was a great day. Different. A shift had been made. The morning came and after rainstorms all night the sky was beautiful. It was hope on display. It was the perfect platform to build on. It was real. In the midst of angst, anger, and confusion- am so thankful to see and experience joy in the sky, in the song, and in the moments of morning. love.love. kar
1) flashing light: kanye
2) free: scc
3) wildest times of the world: vs
4) windmills: mas
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