WAKING AT DAWN

Waking at dawn, just before light, to a sky streaked with dark colors, and no sign of light anywhere, I realized that I could just go right back to sleep if I wanted to. I got up and walked around the house for a minute or two, peered outside, then climbed back into bed. Backing up against my wife, and getting all snuggled in, with 3 pillows, I went right back to sleep!

I dreamed crazy dreams, dreams to be ashamed of, dreams that I didn't like, dreams that I haven't forgotten yet- but I know I will.

I should have stayed up.

But waking at dawn is pretty early!

Before mornings' first light, when the roosters begin crowing and letting the world know what's going on- THAT is an hour when most people just would not even consider getting up!

It's Saturday morning, for pete's sake!

NO EXEMPTION FROM THE COMMON FATE

Daily we find recovery and growth- in ANY area of life: it may be deeply personal- maybe in some emotional area of life, or maybe, just maybe, in an area which is not only deeply personal but deeply spiritual, as well.

In our lives, there is a constant change of circumstance, or situation. Plutarch calls this a "change of fortune."

The entire quote goes like this:

"In human life there is constant change of fortune; and it is unreasonable to expect an exemption from the common fate. Life itself decays, and all things are daily changing."
--Plutarch (46-120BC, Greek essayist, biographer)

Those of us with ordinary or above-ordinary intelligence, come to realize that the changes taking place within our lives and around us, are unavoidable and therefore subject not to actual physical control but that the one thing each and every one of us DO control is our ATTITUDE!

In life, there is always danger from the external- and anything can happen to anyone at anytime. At times, the extreme circumstances can be emotionally devastating. Take, for example, the Colorado High School most recently, where that gunman took female hostages... yet, as horrible as that entire scenario was and continues to be, life has to go on. The world around us does not stop to cry.

And I would never minimize what happened and say anything to hurt anyone- but life will go on.

None of us get an exemption from the common fate.

Therefore, we make some choices.

We choose to allow our minds to heal from the trauma. And may those who are traumatized be emotionally capable of healing. We pray for those who are traumatized to be healed!

In the process of working through this, emotionally, we call in to play our abilities to reason things through, relying on both faith and the courage to continue to forge ahead. Going forward, we move onward and upward. We do not stand still.

Things are daily changing.

And we must be daily changing. Growing. Leading lives of calm, quiet deliberation, lives of spiritual, personal growth, lives of responsibility, wise choices, good decision-making and developing wise decision-making abilities!

Where do we go from here?

Into deeper, more firmly committed relationships with God, and with those whom we love and care about.

Life can end in a momentary flash.

Or extend to over 100 years of age.

What direction our lives take, we must mature gracefully but also learn to laugh and play, like children.

Live today.