Silence

It is a long way off until the day breaks. Early morning silence prevails and graces this new day with time to think, time to reflect and time to listen to each heart song.
Outside the window, the pinkish lights of the school playground, although a mile away, these lights color the fog heavy sky with a hint of color. The now naked limbs of the trees standing dark against this man induced color sky. I am fascinated by the way the branches appear to be reaching up, like an old mans hands, full of veins and thinness. Its difficult to take my eyes off them, they are waving in the wind, but not gracefully as when there are leaves on the trees, now they appear more jerky in motion, less fluid. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we speak of old age as being the winter of life. The beauty is there all the same, maybe even more so. Less is hidden.
I love the morning silence. It gives way to deeper thinking, evaluating ones personally philosophy is possible when sitting in silence, gazing out the window.
This week I feel a bit like Scrooge. It weighs heavy on my heart the total commercialism of the holiday season. It seems so over done, so over the top with decorating and buying. Gift giving has been reduced to what is easy and takes little time. I long for that Little House on the Prairie experience of gift giving. Hiding carefully planned, home made gifts.
The heavens just opened and rain is falling in buckets from the sky. The silence of the morning is gone. The view out my window now appears to be behind a curtain of water. Nourishing rain so good for the parched land. A gift, this rain is. Much in keeping with the theme of this little blog entry. A gift given, that is needed, wanted and well planned out I am sure.
Life is short, said so often, this little phrase is, but it is true. Went to a funeral this week, a dear friends mother passed. Her gift to her loved ones given in wise words to her children, in kind deeds, in always being a lady. Not in the once a year gift giving of Christmas . The point. This year, think about the gifts you are giving all the time to those you love. You, who you are, what you are. Your wisdom that you impart, the joy you radiate, the peace in your heart, those are the real gifts.

Its time for me to cook breakfast, another gift to the man I love. A real meal, nothing boxed or packaged. Something taken for granted at times as food is, since its done daily, but still, its my gift to him to take care in what I put together, how I present it and how it is done with joy.

The wind has blown in with fury, makes you shiver. Time to get that stove going good, its a cold wind.

Please consider giving the gift of compassion, unconditional love, and joy, inner joy that just tumbles out of you.