Rise and Shine

I find that expression very hard to impersonate on Monday morning.
Since Daylight Savings Time it is dark when my alarm goes off.
The sun has not yet risen and shone, and those annoying beeps don't inspire me to try.

But I get up.
Thankfully, my clock is in a place I have to walk to from my bed.
After quieting my alarm, I remember the discipline I'm working on for Lent.
Writing out Matthew begins to give me light.
My eyes adjust to being open and focus on the words.

It is slow work.
I wonder if it won't take me long after these six weeks of Lent to complete it.

Though I am beginning to see how much more this practice means than simply writing something down.
I can't breeze through the genealogy.
I have to pay attention to the foreign names.

It forces me to go through each word,

each day,

and not skip to the end.

Not skip to the wondrous, wonderful part.

I am learning that you have to go through the less exciting, more monotonous times to appreciate the rising and shining.

Being grateful for the process as much as the progress. . . 

 251. Big words

252. Seeing the word surprise spelled differently while reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen  

253. My dad's creativity for breakfast on St. Patrick's Day that made me think of a Dr. Seuss book

I do like green eggs and turkey bacon. . .

254. Special treats from a favorite cafe

255. Little rain drops creating circles that ripple out on our deck

258. A day trip to visit good friends a few hours away

257. White picket fences

258. Green grass

259. Hilly roads

260. Unique umbrellas. It is fascinating to see the different patterns traveling about in the rain.

 261. The First Day of Spring

262. New spring clothes

263. A good friend who helped me choose them

264. Sunshine

265. Bird songs early in the morning, encouraging me to sing too

May you find wonder in rising, shining, and all else~ Megan