Another day on the planet.

My favorite mornings are the ones where I wake up slowly and have the chance to talk to God before I have to talk to humans. On those precious mornings, the first thing I say to God is "Thank you for another day on this planet." What a blessing it is to have another day to spend with my family and friends. I suppose my gray hair perspective contributes to my appreciation of such a gift. Nonetheless, I've tried very hard to teach my kids to also value the opportunities that lie ahead of us at the start of each new day.

Although Kayti is capable of using an alarm clock, I have the privilege of serving that function most of the time. I love going into her room in the morning while she's sleeping ... she's so beautiful and sweet. Memories of my little girlie flood through me as I carefully sit on the edge of her bed and gently pat her arm. "Time to get up, sweet thing. It's Thursday, August 20 and 'This is the day that the Lord hath made!'" My dear daughter reaches her long, feminine arm up, pulls the covers over her head, and lets out this awful, guttural "my-mom's-pathetic" growl and rolls over. Much to her dismay, I love a challenge.