Beautiful Mornings

a lovely breakfast while on vacation....

I have a million fond memories of the "summer adventure" I took with my older girls this summer.  Some of the most pleasurable times were spent eating breakfast outdoors in our hostess' back yard. There is something "exceedingly fitting and right" about starting a new day out in God's creation, watching little birds and squirrels and seeing the dew on the grass.  Our hostess had a wonderful little table set each morning  with a variety of simple foods....fruit salad, homemade jams, toast, bacon, muffins. Nothing fancy, but what a lovely way to ease into the day.

This summer I made a conscious effort to bring a little more beauty into our breakfast at home, at least a few times a week.  In my eyes, a bagel on a pretty glass plate is a bit more satisfying than a bagel on an ordinary plate. Waffles eaten the porch table with a dainty bouquet of garden herbs as a centerpiece are just a bit more memorable that  waffles eaten at the regular dining table. There is just something about beauty first thing in the morning. And then...enter the school year. We have to be up and going at an early hour, starting  the laundry and the school work, and I need to be up even earlier to have my cherished moments of Bible reading and prayer alone.  There is just not a lot of time for fussing with pretty table settings and the like. The day must be begun so we can get it all done! This is real life with several children. Don't get me wrong, having a house full of people to nurture and care for is my dream life and I wouldn't change it for anything...even for another hour of sleep in the morning!  It is lovely and invigorating in its own right, but not leisurely :).

In spite of the complications, I am still finding that some occasional extra effort in the department of loveliness goes a long way in starting the school/work day with a mindset of  "beauty in the midst of business". It really takes no more time to pull out a pretty tea cup than it takes to pull out a coffee mug. (And taking a moment or two to hand wash a tea cup later in the morning  provides a relaxing, yet productive, "slow moment" while a student is completing a math drill!) The little extra additions of beauty to our morning reminds us and our loved ones that it is possible move beyond mere survival, even in busy circumstances.

Take a little extra time to think about what causes you to gracefully begin your day. Maybe it is not breakfast, or pretty dishes and flowers for you.  Perhaps it is as easy as a walk out to feed and pet the dogs, or taking the time to write a poem or watch the birds. And there is certainly no more beautiful way to start the day than joyfully feeding and snuggling the precious babies God places in your care. Bible reading/prayer time is a given and by far the most important thing. Nothing can replace or mimic time with the Lord.  A mom with a quiet spirit and a heart set on the Lord will adorn the breakfast table like nothing else!  Whatever it is for you in your season of life, delight in those morning moments and allow them to set a tone of beauty for your day ahead.