Mercies, New Every Morning

Thank goodness for a new morning.  New mercies and new beginnings for all of us.  (And all the mothers said, "Amen!")  Recently we had a baaaaad morning.  Caden threw a few choice tantrums that went on and on.  I never made it to my class at the Y because of it.  Even with Travis' help.  Everything was just off for the boy. Which of course meant everything was off for the rest of us too.  I did alot of deep breathing.  Positive thinking.  And modeling.  Addison did alot of waiting.  Ignoring.  And looking at him weirdly.  Caden?  He did alot of wailing.  But eventually we got the ship turned around.  Mind you, it wasn't smooth sailing.  But we were at least all headed in a better direction after nap time.   And it got me to thinking.  I know our brains and bodies need to recharge, and that's why we physically and mentally need to sleep.  But I am starting to believe, that in God's wisdom He designed our need for sleep, in part, so that we could experience a new morning.  Not just once in a while, or only when we do a good job.  We get to awaken.  Every.  Single.  Day.  And I think He had mothers in mind particularly when He granted us this gift.  Why?

• A new morning helps us see our children in a fresh light.  The hot, sticky screaming-tears and high-pitched, snotty-nosed tantrums seem so far gone when you see a fluffy-haired angel grin up at you from their crib in the morning light of a new day.   
• New mornings are full of potential.  That's when flowers open.  Birds sing.  And dew glistens.  Coincidentally it is also the part of the day when my children are on their best behavior.  They play happily and independently most of the time.  Allowing me to notice the flowers, birds and dew ; )
• The morning is full of "to-dos".  No time for what was.  Only what is.  And what will be.  
• The heat of mid-day is not yet upon us, the fatigue of evening hasn't set in.  And even on the busiest of mornings, there is coffee ; )

Frankly, I still don't bounce out of bed ready to tackle the day very often and it frequently takes me a few minutes to form an intelligible sentence.  But I am grateful.  Let's add mornings to the list of things I never fully appreciated before motherhood.

Perhaps that's because not all that long ago there were several months of time where I really couldn't tell morning from night.  I was awake constantly.  Rocking and holding all the time.  Soothing.  Feeding.  Singing.  Swaddling.  Humming.  All.  The.  Time.  In fact, morning was a bit of a relief.  I can say with certainty, that while there wasn't anything fresh or invigorating about it, for a really long time the morning was an important milestone; it signaled that I had survived another day.

Or perhaps it is because of the way morning makes everything look better.  Newborn hair is beautiful.  Newborn hair in the dawning sun is make-you-stop-and-forget-to-breathe-gorgeous.  

Maybe it is because the morning has a certain strength to it.  I didn't know that until I watched the sun rise.  Set.  And rise again.  For months, from a nursery chair that surely should have been run into the ground after so much rocking.  Each time, knowing that when the morning dawned I would find a way to face the day.  

Or possibly, it is because mornings are connected to some of my most precious memories.   Like introducing my brand new babies to their grandparents for the first time.

Oh, how I now appreciate a new morning!!  I am so grateful for the way it washes over the worst of yesterday, like an incoming tide.  Sweeping the sands of my soul clean so that I can start anew.   Revealing all that is possible, all that is important and all that is mercifully mine to steward for a time.  Yes, mornings are little miracles that come into my life like clockwork, every twenty-four hours.