Birth of a New Day

One morning we rose early to watch the sunrise over the beach.

 (There goes another item crossed off my bucket list. Yay!)

The predawn beach was so incredibly peaceful. 

It felt slightly mysterious in the darkness.

There was no sound except the birds morning music and the rhythmic waves washing ashore.

We had the beach to ourselves as we held hands and watched the sky lighten by subtle degrees as sunrise inched closer.

Here is a beach sunrise in an instant- no waiting on the sandy shore for an hour:

See the sun just barely peeking out from under its covers? 

It's so cute! (Yes, I really do mean the word 'cute'.) 

It reminded me of a newborn baby blinking its eyes blearily as it wakes up. 

It felt so new and fresh. It even felt innocent- it was a clean slate ready to be filled.

It was so neat to watch the birth of a beautiful scene.

While we waited for daybreak, we took lots of pictures (the sunrise did take an hour after all....).

We danced on the beach.

We held hands and reclined on the sand.

We discussed ways to improve our parenting and teach our children better.

We walked along the beach collecting sea shells. (Which happens to be another bucket list item)

We played in the surf watched crabs scuttle across the sand.

It was a perfect morning. 

I couldn't stop humming the triumphant song, "The Morning Breaks" as the sunrise burst onto the landscape, cheerfully brightening everything in sight. 

I felt full to the brim with pure joy and gratitude.

I thought about all the millions of people around the world, most of whom would be missing this gorgeous sunrise today. So many people were likely rushing to work or otherwise busy 

and taking this free work of art for granted.

I wondered what beautiful moments I had missed back at home 

in my routine dash to get through my 'to-do' list everyday. 

I do try to stop and enjoy the beauty around us on our farm, but today I realized

 there is still more to be appreciated if I just take a moment to do so.

The world is such a breathtaking place.

The Lord is indeed generous with His gifts to us!

I hope you are able to enjoy God's free gifts today as you celebrate Thanksgiving!