Morning Joys

*Open windows and a cool breeze

*Birdsong concert upon awakening

*A good cup of coffee~~ Sumatran with half & half

*My faithful Bible waiting for me by the rocking chair

*Flowers on the table, pink peonies and lavender iris~ my favorite colors

*The absence of the low back pain that has plagued me for the past month

*Systematically opening the shades to allow the morning sunshine into the house

*The tactile pleasure of soft fur as I give the cat his morning belly rub

*Poetry, like this one:

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JOY OF THE MORNING

I hear you, little bird,
Shouting a-swing above the broken wall.
Shout louder yet: no song can tell it all.
Sing to my soul in the deep, still wood:
'Tis wonderful beyond the wildest word:
I'd tell it, too, if I could.

Oft when the white, still dawn
Lifted the skies and pushed the hills apart,
I've felt it like a glory in my heart--
(The world's mysterious stir)
But had not throat like yours, my bird,
Nor such a listener.

~by Edwin Markham