I have had a very enlightening 22.5 hours.
Usually, during the week and really on any given night, you can set your watch by me. I fall asleep at the stroke of 10 o’clock. I’m just a very sleepy individual. Maybe I require more sleep than most, or maybe I just like sleep that much. Either way, I get a lot of it.
But not this weekend.
Justin & Friends are in Charlotte for a Magic tournament, and I’ve had the place to myself since 5:00 Friday. Last night, Bonnie and I passed out on the couch together and when I woke up around 3 a.m. and realized this, I had to work real hard to haul myself into the bed. I woke up at 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning. And I haven’t been to sleep since.
This is really weird. I remember the last time this happened; I was still in college and home visiting. I stayed up the entire night and got to watch the sun come up. I even remember making a Facebook status about it.
But now that I’m a little older, the sunset means a lot more to me than being able to stay up all night.
As I was Netflixing my way through the night, time got away from me. I had planned to take Bonnie for her nightly walk around 11, maybe even midnight if I was awake. When I checked my phone for the time, it was almost 2 a.m. I took Bonnie down and came back up and returned to Netflix. I figured at some point my usual sleepiness would kick in and I would pass out on the couch like I did Friday night and like I am wont to do on any other night. This just never happened.
The later it got, the more I began to realize that I could watch the sun come up if I stayed up just a little bit longer. This is such a rarity for me, and I really wanted to do it. Perhaps sleepiness lost in favor of determination. I’m not sure at this point. I sat on my couch and kept my stare at the big window in the living room, just waiting for the background of the night to lighten. I figured it would start around 5 or 5:30, but it didn’t really start until 6. Once it began, I took a picture every couple of minutes to document the changes.
follow from upper right, clockwise
This sunrise began to become something really theological for me.
Everyday, when I get up and get Justin’s lunch ready and walk Bonnie, the sun is already up. The birds are already singing. There is already light streaming through and painting stripes on the bookcases and carpet.
But today, I got to see it happen!
Seeing the day start made the day more meaningful for me. It wasn’t just a given. I didn’t wake up to greet the sun, it greeted me! It was a really awesome feeling. When I pray, I always start by thanking God for giving us another day. But to see it happen? To see the new day actually dawn…that is something really special.
I get to see a new day end all the time. Seeing the sun sink and watching the watercolor clouds is great, but watching a midnight blue sky become light blue, then yellow, then white, all in slow procession, all meaningful, all giving…I just don’t have words.
I felt God speak to me this morning through this. I don’t know what He’s telling me. I just know that it made my heart happy this morning.
“(Reach Up For The) Sunrise” by Duran Duran
Now the time has come
The music’s between us
Though the night seems young
It’s at an end
Only change will bring
You out of the darkness
In this moment everything is born again
Reach up for the sunrise
Put your hands into the big sky
You can touch the sunrise
Feel the new day enter your life
Reach up for the sunrise
Put your hands into the big sky
You can touch the sunrise
Feel the new day enter your life
Now the fireball burns
We go round together
As the planet turns into the light
Something more than dreams to
Watch out for each other
‘Cause we know what it means to be alive
Reach up for the sunrise
Put your hands into the big sky
You can touch the sunrise
Feel the new day enter your life
Feel the new day enter your life
Feel the new day
Frazzled Formatter 