It is important to begin a day with the right mindset. I have learned that lesson well in these almost 40 years I have been an adult. The first thing I want to acknowledge when I wake up is the overwhelming gratitude for all God has given to me in spite of my failures.

I could wake up with dread over what the day holds, but how do I really know what the day holds. I could wake up with shame about how I acted the day before, but God has forgiven and allowed me to move on. I could wake up with sadness, anger, bitterness – circumstances and choices in my life that have left scars and pain, but God is within me, and that is enough to feel overwhelming gratitude.

Waking up. I am so grateful I wake up without the beeping of an alarm that jars one out of restful sleep. I now wake up to the quiet of the room…

It is a very pleasant sound. Before the sun rose, in the still of the early morning, as I slowly began to awaken, I heard a cat purr on my right side, and my husband laughing as he dreamt on my left side. That is a really nice way to begin a day. I am grateful.

I am also grateful that God has set in motion this pattern of minutes, hours, days – I KNOW that when I wake up, the sun will brighten the day and greet me on my walk. I also know that when the day is done, the sun will grant me a “good evening” and God will paint a beautiful landscape for the moon’s entrance, as well.

My laughing husband is working hard for a couple weeks as the family farm produces its fall crops and harvest is in full swing. I am so grateful he is cancer free and healthy to participate and help out. He has been able to see the sun rise and set each day in a place that is dear and familiar.

The day is now done for me. After a ten hours of work at my desk, I had enough reserved inside to walk a few more miles. Sounds in the evenings are different than in the pre-dawn: children having fun at the park, football guys leaving practice to head to the pizza place in small town USA for their pre-game meal, tired residents driving home after a challenging day of work, dogs barking as they see me walking by their domain, a couple riding their bikes and greeting me as they pass. I have a view of the western sky, but it is partially blocked by houses and streetlights and power lines. I do my best to watch the changing sky through the trees, but I can tell I am missing the majesty of it all.

That makes me walk faster.

I am grateful Sam left the fun car in the garage for me, just in case. I get back to the house, grab the key fob, and as fast as I carefully can, I back out and get to the edge of small town USA, just in time to capture one more gift.

It will make me smile in my sleep tonight…