Day 34 - In The Morning

It is early here, the daylight just beginning to chase away the darkness. A few birds begin their tentative chirping waiting for the fullness of dawn to truly begin their song. I love mornings. I wake up with a sense of wondering what the day will bring.
I use my first moments of the day to draw closer to my source of comfort, wisdom and hope. If I miss that quiet time for some reason, my day is all out of kilter, I feel all out of sorts. I read my daily devotionals and sift through the wisdom others have gleaned from their walk with God. Daily devotionals are books that have a short talk for every day of the year. They have ones for AA/NA, Christian, self-help, positive thinking almost every kind of "help" you can think of. For me, having several Christian devotional books helps keep me centered, focused and connects me with other believers insights.
I also read my Bible daily, I need too. My self-will is so strong, (Star Wars, "the force is strong is this one") that without my daily spiritual vitamins of Bible reading I can so easily become self-seeking, stubborn and anything but a model of Christian love. For me, it is as if I'm am taking in the words, praying for insight and then trusting that those seeds will grow in my inner nature and gradually, over time, I will become more Godly. I like the expression, "By the grace of God, I'm not who I was, and by His grace tomorrow I will become better than I am today."
And so the journey goes. Today, I am so fortunate that I get to go to the mountains. My inner self is  dancing with joy! The plan is to drive to one our favorite spots in the world, Eagle Creek in the Columbia Gorge. There the woods are strong and tall, the creek, cold, pure and sparkling. We will hike as far into the hills as I can go, being limited by my strength and endurace. We will find spots along the way to sit, drink in the smells of the woods and earth and just enjoy seeing the expanse of wilderness. I can hardly wait to get started with the day.
I like in the Bible where it talks about Jesus taking time out of his life to go to the sea, and the hills. The Bible gives us a picture of Him as acknowledging that we need times of rest and refreshing. The fact he liked that outdoors makes me feel a kind of kindred spirit with Him. Although I can't walk the same pathways he walked, or sit on the same shores as he did, each time I go on a trek I sense the overwhelming awareness of being in a sacred place, very close to my Creator.
Being a tree hugger of sorts, I love the smell of the woods, I plan on drinking in the sight of everything I can and recharging my spiritual batteries for what lays ahead. How fortunate I am that at this late stage of my life, 62, I still am able to hike. I am truly blessed. So I will hurry off to get ready, pack the car, get my gear it is going to be a beautiful day! 
Today, in your life, if possible take time to refresh and renew, spiritually and physically. Go outside and find a place to drink in the beauty of nature; to experience the wonder of creation. Make a way to find your own mountan experience. To each of you have a wonderful, blessed day, and keep on looking up!