Sun's up!

Village life begins early each day. Before the sun rises, taxis drive through blowing their horns to alert those that must travel to work of their availability. Community messages are often broadcast over load speakers at 5:30 am, and by dawn, the village is humming with activity….and noise. The sounds are varied, some natural, some man made. The sound of an ax splitting the morning fire wood necessary for cooking breakfast, the chatter of ladies in the kitchen, and the incessant barking of dogs all make it difficult to sleep past dawn.

As I struggled to go back to sleep one last time before my 5:30 am internal alarm went off, I recalled a special morning several years ago. Our friends and fellow church members David and Dawn Bradley were both in Mexico on a mission trip, and us to look after their three daughters Brooke, Cameron and Kate.

Kate was just 3 or so, but she was a real morning person. One morning towards the end of our week together, I was awaken by two small fingers prying my eyelids open. I awoke to little Kate sitting on our bed saying “sun's up!” I laughed, and wrapped my arms around her, and we snuggled down to go back to sleep in the quiet of my suburban Winston-Salem neighborhood.

As I recalled that one moment out of one morning in a life of many mornings, I smiled and said a prayer for Kate, Cameron, Brooke, David and Dawn. God has blessed me with friends that enrich my life, both here and in North Carolina. Thanks be to God.