Morning Has Broken

How wonderful it is when a new day breaks. When I first moved to Tennessee in the cool of the new day I would marvel at the sunrises. I had never lived on a farm and to see the sun come up over the river left me spellbound.

This morning there is no river or farm, only a suburban raised ranch on a large lot. I have this habit that annoys my husband. I like to open windows. I prefer open windows to air conditioning. Even on a cold morning in Tennessee like today, I fling open the only window I can open, the bathroom window. It looks out over part of our driveway. Just beyond the driveway is a wooded area.

Yesterday as we returned to our home, there was a beautiful male cardinal in the yard. His red was different that the cartoonish red you sometimes see. This red had a tinge of blue in it. He was magnificent.

A good story would be to tell you that my mother loved cardinals. That in seeing this bird it was a reminder that she was watching me. The thought of your mother watching you isn’t always comforting but this time it might have been. My mother never has mentioned liking cardinals. Yet I took some delight in seeing this glorious creation.

I have never noticed cardinals in our yard before. Today when I flung open the window, I saw a female cardinal. She might be the mate of the one I saw yesterday.

I think what I am sensing is that life goes on. We all know that, we all say that at times like this. But it does. There is profoundness in that truth. It is true there will always be seed time and harvest. As we learned from Simba, there is a circle of life. It keeps going and revolving. It isn’t just a random revolution of life. It is a life designed by a loving Creator.

Part of this revolution is death. I read literature over the last few days from hospice. They talked about a transition from this life. Death is part of life I heard several times. Yet it is more. As a believer I know that it isn’t only a transition. A loving heavenly Father, the creator of all living things knows, sees, understands, and takes us into His eternal home and care.

I don’t know how that happens. I don’t know if angels come. I don’t know if a loved one comes to greet us first. I don’t know when my mother saw Jesus. I don’t know when she saw my father. I don’t even know for sure that she has done any of these things. I don’t know if she’ll be in the ground in sleep awaiting the resurrection.

But I do know, she is being cared for by my heavenly Father. I know that the Creator never abandons His creation. I know that God saw that cardinal and sent him to me to remind me that life is full of beauty. 

Today the sun came up and reminded me of His faithfulness.