In the Morning

When you live in God, your day begins when you open your eyes, though you have done nothing yourself to open them, and you take your first breath, though there is no reason why this life-giving breath should be given to you and not to some other. In the dark or in the light, with a stone slab under your back or a feather topper, your day begins when you let God hold you because you do not have the slightest idea how to hold yourself-- when you let God raise you up, when you consent to rest to show you get the point, since that is the last thing you would do if you were running the show yourself. When you live in God, your day begins when you lose yourself long enough for God to find you, and when God finds you, you lose yourself in praise. - Barbara Brown Taylor

This quote came through my Facebook feed yesterday and it really struck me. February is one of my hardest months. I've talked about that before. The cold. The gray. The mundane. It's just not a good month for me typically. But this year my son said something to me that I did not expect to ever hear. 

I was sitting at the table with my morning cup of coffee, Bible open, journal page half filled and pen in hand when my son wrapped is lanky arms around me and asked, "What do you do when you sit here with your coffee and pen?"

It isn't an unusual sight to see me at the table like this in the morning after lunches are packed and people are prepping to leave for their days at school or work. 

I replied simply, "I'm thanking God." 

A thoughtful look crossed his face. He glanced at my Bible, peeked at the words I had jotted on my paper and replied, "Is that why you are so happy in the morning?"

The little habits. The willingness to be open and vulnerable. Choosing to give thanks and start the day with a perspective of abundance instead of want. They add up. They change you slowly and without you even being aware of them. Then someone says, "Is that why you are so happy in the morning?"

I have not always been anything near happy or pleasant in the morning. I look at my young teen and have flashbacks to who I was and pray she will grow out of it with maturity and time. It is through my willingness to surrender in the morning and serve my family that I find joy that sets the tone for my day.

How do you start your day? Does it bring peace to your hours or set them up for hurried and stressed? What small changes that take only minutes can you make to find your happy that will spread to those around you?