That's why....

  The other day, someone asked me why I get up so early.  I have a tendency to rise before the sun and make my coffee. Then, that cup of coffee is enjoyed as the sky starts to brighten in the east.  Why do I get out of bed so early?  I have no definite answer.  I just do.  Then again, maybe I have more than one answer.  I suppose if you stop to think about it, this could all be Pop's fault.  Back when I was just a kid on the farm, we were rousted out of bed when the roosters crowed.  "Time to get up!" Pop would call as he started cranking on that old wall-mounted coffee grinder.  (That thing made enough noise to get anybody out of bed whether they wanted to or not!)  Pop knew that there was a lot of work to be done and he needed all five kids to be up and ready to work at an early hour.  You are just not lazy on a farm!  Now, however, it is not the chores that awaken me.  I have this built-in alarm clock that seems to sound at a predawn hour.  I just cannot sleep!  So, I am up and ready to go as soon as I down the first cup of coffee. 

  Personally, I love the way the sun casts shadows on just about everything as it is starting to peep between the pines.  I see things that most never experience.  The way the light filters through the trees, illuminates the palmettos or causes fungi to almost glow never seems to disappoint me.  I am like that proverbial "kid in a candy shop" as I can always find something to delight the senses.  

  I love to hear the birds as they start to chirp their happy calls and I love to hear the last yelps of the baby fox as Mama calls them back to the den.  I love to see a dragonfly stretch its wings for the first time as it transforms from nymph to flying beauty.  I love to find fresh berries or other fruits as the morning dew glistens making them look like jewels. I love the smell of the earth that has just been refreshed by the coolness of the night or the sweet aroma of gardenias (or magnolias, jasmine, roses, wisteria..you name it!) as the buds begin to open.  I love the coolness of moss under my bare feet or the bite of frost on my nose depending upon the season. 

 I just love morning...early, early morning  I love the peace, the calmness, the solitude.  It is "my" time of the day.  My time...made just for me...my time to revel in all of the Good Lord's magnificence.