Summer Routine

One thing I am going to miss about the summer is our early morning routine.  Shuffling through the grass wet with dew, coffee cup balanced, we make our way to the corner of the garden.  We sit, listen and observe.  Starlings, sparrows and woodpeckers squawk and assert their territorial rights from our once majestic maples in the front yard.  Hummingbirds thrumb their wings darting close, sipping sweet nectar from the blooms rimming the vegetable garden.  The conditions are perfect for prayer and gratitude.  We sit some more and continue the gentle awakening as we slowly sip and savor our coffee.  We may talk about our plans for the day or what is happening with our kids. 

I try to sort out the elements of what makes these moments ones I do not want to forget.  I am alone with my husband of nearly thirty-three years surrounded by the miracle that takes place in our garden as it changes from day to day.  It is truly a spiritual place, a blessed place. Starting our day in gratitude and prayer in this setting makes for better days.  All these elements combine to make this daily thirty-minute period memorable.  Somehow, we need to replicate it in February.  That might take some doing.