07 August 2008

love thursday...God's post-it notes all over my morning!

did you ever feel a nudge & a whisper in the first morning light, like God is poking you & saying, "get up sleepyhead...i have a day full of wonder & beauty planned just for you!" that sleepy eye peeks open, taking in the morning's pink portrait of bent light in the sky, & you know a masterpiece awaits, free for the viewing but for a limited time only. so you get up! & you draw a sharp intake of breath as you take in the sight...96. from the perch i am blessed to call my deck this was my wake-up call...from this to coffee on the lower deck (a bit more shaded in the summer heat, thank you very much!...& yes, it is hot out here, even in the early morn)...i am blessed to sit in the quiet & continue to count my gifts (the quiet alone being a profound gift!) lest i thought the sunrise was the morning's one & only, God again nudged me out of my reverie with a "quick, get up & look over the water!"


97. at first i saw nothing, heard nothing, but in a moment an otter cleared the surface, floated on his back & looked at me with his adorable smile! (sorry, he's much too quick for photo ops!) i watched him cavort around our dock for awhile & just as he started to swim away, another gift appeared~~ again in silence...


98. a great blue heron poked his head out from under our dock.he threw a weary glance over his shoulder at me & once he perceived i was no threat (hey, i had my coffee!), he continued fishing in his own elegant way.


99. just as i was reconsidering the comfort of my padded deck chair, a pair of morning gifts flew in with an unlikely ruckus...2 snowy egrets were in competition for a fishing spot opposite the heron. to look at these graceful birds you would never believe the sounds that can come out of them! think: call of a bull frog crossed with the buzz of locust swarms & a cow in agony! i'm not kidding.


100. that sound alone is a gift because it makes you laugh! it is not long before everyone in the water has had enough of the adolescent antics of the egrets & they all fly away but one...101. when one of these elegant creatures sees fit to land on our dock, i cannot help but think it is a benediction! soon he is gone too & i am settled into my chair once again. & once again, in the quiet, 2 more gifts...102. i let my eyes settle on my deck flowers that are now overhanging their pots in all their summer glory when i see a rustle of green that is not a leaf in the breeze...


103. but rather my ol' friend the anole! nearly every morning he parades across my deck railing, strutting his stuff. sometimes he even brings a lady friend. when i talk to him (yes, the neighbors think i am crazy!), he stops to consider me with a tilt of his brilliant green head. & he's not camera-shy either!soon he too sauntered off amongst the wisteria vine that now stretches from ground to top deck & i sipped the last of my coffee...& full of gifts, began my day. happy love thursday everyone!

10 comments:

Paula In Pinetop said...

A nice moment of pause before my busy day begins.....thanks for encouraging me to slow down an savor your blog.

Annie Jeffries said...

Your anole friend completely charmed me.

Claudia said...

Where exactly do you live to enjoy such a paradise around you? Beautiful Photos and wonderful post!
Claudia

Jannis said...

What a pretty post. The pictures are nice too!

somepinkflowers said...

if you saw a cavorting otter
that should count as 2 gifts
as they are so special!

:-)

i bet if you stayed
in that one place
all the live~long day
{{ as if you could }}
you would see gifts 104-120.

how fortunate
you are to have such a view!

erin said...

i love the thought of God's post-it notes :)

- A - C - said...

breathtaking and inspiring. Thank you!

P.S. i am envying the view from your deck.... just a little ;-)

Karina said...

What an absolutely beautiful gift this post was. Thank you.

Karen Cole said...

Beautifully written, beautifully illustrated.

qualcosa di bello said...

paula...i need to remind myself to go slow every single day!

annie...he is quite the casanova!

claudia...by the bay in eastern NC, very close to the atlantic. it is paradise!

jannis...how is your summer in spain???

spf...you are right! the 1000 gifts begin on my deck!

erin...& the great thing is that they are all over the place

andrea...then we are even...i am envying your time down under (the land of my family!)

karina...my pleasure!

karen...thank you!