Morning has Broken

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. Oprah Winfrey

Ellie (the wonder pooch) and I walked along the ridge of the reservoir last night. Early evening sun cast lengthening shadows. Birds flitted from tree to tree. Bikers, walkers, joggers, mother's carrying small children, father's steadying sons and daughters on tiny plastic two-wheelers were scattered along the path. The air felt fresh and light. The world felt pregnant with possibility.

Ahhh, summer. You have arrived.

This morning, brilliant sunshine filters through green clad branches of the cherry tree outside my bedroom window. Birds flutter around the feeder. They peck at the feed and each other, chasing one another away, darting back to grab a seed.

I hear the sound of water pouring from the lion's head fountain mounted to the wall of the garage. Hops entwine the trellis on either side.

Morning has broken...

And I am awake.

Blackbird has spoken...

I hear its song.

Praise for the singing...

Let your voice rise.

Praise for the springing...

Embrace all that is.

Today is a new day. I have a choice. To greet it with trepidation, or embrace it with joy. No matter what today brings, my choices will determine how I move through each moment of the day.

And so, for today, for every day, I choose to dance, to laugh, to sing. I choose to cry, to weep, to feel.

I choose to be in the moment of feeling the temperature of the day fresh against my skin. And in my feeling, I choose to accept -- I cannot change the weather. I can greet it with a springlike anticipation of all it has to offer. I cannot dissuade the rain, I can always choose to dance.

And no matter what I choose, no matter what the day brings, my attitude is the difference between how I weather the storms of life.

And because it is just one of 'those kinds of days', here's Cat Stevens singing one of my all time favourites, "Morning has Broken", lyrics by Eleanor Farjean