This morning, I was awakened by Tiny Princess. She had been put to bed last night with only 4 ounces of milk in her bottle...poor little thing was hungry at 5:30, and had nothing to drink. Not that she's malnourished or anything, but still...
We spent last evening with my parents, and 2 of my 3 brothers. It was a nice visit, the same as ever...they discuss "heavy" things like politics, religion, and the state of the world in general, and as soon as mom or I tried to add anything, we were given that "don't you worry your pretty little head about it" look. Now, I know that my father understands that I have a good mind, which I exercise by reading novels, biographies, the newspaper, and watching the news and things of that nature. I think, that maybe, just maybe, I am the most like him in the way I think about things, and how I take in knowledge...
Anyway...after we got home, close to 9PM, which is about 2 hours after Tiny Princess usually gets put to bed, and 1 hour after Captain Chaos is put to bed...BB and I sat down and watched the end of Porky's II...what a hideous movie! Crass, crude, incredibly inappropriate...and I'm not quite sure it was necessary to use all the language to get their point across, but what do I know? After that, we tuned into "My First Place" and watched a really great family buy their first place just down the road from my town! I love when shows like that are in my state...someday, I might even get to see the episode of Trading Spaces that was filmed just a short drive from my house, in my hometown!
At any rate, we went to bed way too late last night, so when she started talking and then her happy little grunts, squeaks and squawks turned into frustration, and she started waving the empty bottle around, smacking it into the side of the crib (I know the sound), I decided perhaps I should get up and give her more to drink...so I did...at 5:45AM. I decided to just get up, and therefore was showered, dressed, and mostly ready to walk out the door by 6:30 (I took my time).
I came downstairs, started a load of laundry, cleaned my kitchen, made my starter for my sourdough bread, which I'll shortly be getting up to turn into bread dough, and folded the sheets that were in the dryer. I have a load of Tiny Princess' "next size" clothes to fold as well.
However, after an hour of "working" and before sweeping and washing my kitchen floor, which would be silly to do prior to using flour and sugar, I decided to sit for a while and enjoy the sounds of my neighborhood waking up. I opened wide the house to air it out, as I know that BB will want it closed up early, so the A/C doesn't run too soon...and have sat, with a cup of tea, listening to the neighbors as they run, jog, walk, and then pull out of their driveways to head off to work or drop their kids at school. I enjoyed the sounds of the Jack Russell that lives 2 doors down, and behind us, as he chased the birds that were silly enough to encroach upon his lawn in search of worms and other delightful bugs for breakfast.
But my favorite, is that for an hour, I could hear nothing but the sound of the birds, and the soft breeze blowing my aspen leaves this morning. There was no one else that was up, making noises that I could hear...
I sometimes wish we lived in the mountains, or the country, where neighbors are further than a few hundred feet away, and the busy roads and highways are far enough away that I can't hear the air brakes of the big rigs on their into or out of my town...I think my favorite time in all the world, for all my life will always be the time before the rest of the world is awake...
When we camp, BB and our friends always fight the encroaching dawn, staying snuggled in their sleeping bags until they absolutely must get up. I, on the other hand, will often creep from my tent with the first graying of the sky, and sit next to the embers of our campfire, stir them up a tiny bit to warm the air around my chair, start the stove, and make something hot to drink, and sit, surrounded by the sounds of the animals as they start their day, the sound of the trees as they to begin their waking up process, and the breeze that always blows in the Rocky Mountains, rustling the needles of the pine trees, and the leaves of the aspens. There is something about that still time, when everything is quiet, that feeds my soul in a way that no Church service ever could. It is in these times that I am most at peace, able to hear His voice whispering in my ear "be still and know..."
As I drink in the beauty of his creation, and enjoy the only time where it is truly silent in my life, I can offer up my heart's cry to Him, and hear His gentle words of comfort back to me...
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