Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Morning

image taken by Brad during Heidi's engagement shoot

I am a morning person.
I love to rise before everyone else is even stirring, make my rounds, check every sleeping body, start some breakfast, throw in a load or two of laundry, enjoy the quiet.
I had plans for my morning today--wake up at 5:30, make muffins, clean the kitchen, evaluate my to-do list.  All in the quiet house.

Eve had a different plan. She awoke just before six, before I got the muffins in the oven.  But she was insistent--breakfast please!  So I quickly scooped her out of her crib and walked back to my room.

This morning was an unusual morning for Arizona--we woke to the slow, steady hum of falling rain. With my baby nestled to my breast, I sat in my favorite chair and just absorbed the morning through the open window--the sound, the smell, the feel.  The sky was barely graying, barely changing, and we sat there as the day began.
I remembered my "yellow afghan" experience in January (read about it here), and right then I understood that I've been forgetting the important things:  not invitations and cakes and candles and who is going to wear what.

Remember what a suckling baby sounds like?
Remember when we'd laugh late into the night?
Remember how a two-year-old pronounces "s"?
Remember who drives that Ford F-150 with the torn leather seats?
Remember what smelly gym clothes in the car smell like?
Remember when finding your favorite shirt made your day?
Remember how to do a cartwheel with an umbrella in your hand?
Remember rain?  Remember how great life is, every single day?
Remember, Jen?

And today, I did remember.  I remembered before I ever forget again.
Dear Lord, thank You for everyday. And especially thank You for today.


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11 comments:

  1. Beautiful. thanks for sharing.

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  2. Thanks for reminding me to remember :)

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  3. Love it, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Remembering to SAVOR the moments with my kids, instead of be frustrated and angry so much. Thanks for the beautifully written reminder. And hey, aren't you up a BIT late this evening. For you to be a good morning person, I know you usually go to bed rather early. Oh, and finally, fear not, I got the pantry door open. Tell Ben, no worries.

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  4. What a really great post Jen. It's ok to get caught up in the wedding stuff..that's your life right now...but good for you for slowing down and taking time to remember. Enjoy the rain and your nursing baby. The muffins can wait...little Eve cannot. And oh how I want to be a morning person..the few times I am up that early I love it...the quiet, the light outside...thank you for reminding me of this

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  5. Reading the things you remembered made me do some remembering of my own.

    Thanks, Jen.

    =)

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  6. Waking up to rain is always a gift to a girl raised on a dry Arizona Ranch. I loved this post.

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  7. I'm a morning person too. How nice to sit and listen to the rain while feedin your baby. Beautiful! But really? You could do a cartwheel with an umbrella in your hand? I AM impressed!

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  8. Remember who you helped Heidi and I practice cartwheels for hours in your front room so we could do them both ways?

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  9. What a nice post. I got a little lift from a few of the things you were remembering.

    I like it when the world stops for you for a moment.

    You're the best.

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  10. I remember doing cartwheels in the front room! It seriously was for HOURS... And we were both pretty successful afterward! Thanks, Mom!

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  11. I remember getting taken for a milkshake by my oldest sister. Thinking that I must be someone special because my sister thought that I was fun enough to spend time with that day! Missing you guys today!!

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