Mornings

It is easy to gulp the morning freshness and hurry to work, to our child’s school, or to our doctor’s appointment. Mornings are easy to miss because we are busy with the business of living. However, mornings are our first steps of the day or our second chances in life. They are our first steps of the day after last night’s sleep or our second chances if we are recovering from physical or emotional trauma such as illness or abuse.

Every morning is Life’s gift to us. Through it we can start something new, something different, or continue doing certain routines. We can begin a new exercise, do our morning shopping, or go to the bus stop at the usual time. Our morning is there for us to take, it is free, and always remember, it is a gift. 

Not all of us have the morning as our gift. Those who have died before us-- our parents, child, brother, sister, or best friend-- will no longer have this precious time to savor life and to choose what to do with it. I would give anything if I can just have one morning to spend with my parents. If I have a morning with them, I will tell them I love them and ask them questions about what kind of life they had when they were young. I would ask my father how he fed his family of six during WW II when he had to evacuate from the city and live on his 23-hectare farm. I would ask my mother how she survived the bombing in Manila when the Americans liberated it from the Japanese in 1945. I would ask them how they met and what was lovely in each other when they fell in love.

Mornings also bring languid pleasure for those who are not working or are retired. For these people, there is a gradual awakening of the day, unlike the tumultuous panic that seems to grip some people whose workplace is an hour away by car. I am not working as I write this essay and for the last two months, my stress level has been low, my sleep has been excellent, and my hair has even grown thicker! I have learned how to play a farm and a city computer game, have tried to sing using my middle voice, and have totally enjoyed using the iPad that my husband, Deane, has given me for my birthday four months ago.

Whatever our mornings may be for each of us, let us welcome it like the first sunbeam and  be grateful for life, family, friends, and the things that make life worthwhile.