Dawn...

The light was increasing on the horizon before 7am this morning.
I could see the shape of the windows illuminated against the walls.
The trees outside my window stood stark against the sky.
Etched like they were the shadows...
My mornings are getting lighter...earlier.
Even though I have experienced this every year of my life...
Living in the northern hemisphere, watching the dark recede in February is one of the rare gifts in a land smothered and imprisoned in snow and ice.
Spring is approaching...long before winter even acknowledges that there is a battle being waged.

You have to watch for it...
You have to pay attention.
One of the effects of watching many sunrises ...is a permanent hopefulness branded on my heart.
It is impossible not to hope as you see the darkness flee before the light.
If you ever want a boost in your spirit..deep in the well of your soul:
Keep your eyes on the horizon.
Arise...leave your bed...stand at the window or get yourself outside.
Fix your eyes...
The wonder and miracle of dawn is more than just the intellectual knowledge of earths rotation.

First the natural..then the spiritual.

Enacted before us everyday...every season... is the mystery, the miracle...
Resurrection...
Rebirth...
Renewal.
HOPE.
All things are being made new.
Including you and I.

"His mercies are new every morning...his faithfulness reaches to the skies"
...so the ancient scriptures proclaim with passion...
"The heavens declare the glory of God..."
" He is the light of the world."

Fix your eyes today...let your heart follow...
It's a new day... spread before you is another demonstration, an interaction...
An invitation: believe, hope...

"Weeping endures for the night: Joy comes in the morning."

Our days on this planet are a cycle of light invading the dark...
The unending struggle...
The inevitable truth enacted out before our very eyes:

Light wins...dawn always comes.
Winter ends...Life begins anew.
Ice recedes...waters flow forth...
It's a new day.

Hope springs eternal.

Watch.
Wait.
Believe.