Scrubbed clean

I was jolted awake by a flash of lightning and boom of thunder at 5:15 this morning.  I laid in bed listening to the rain pelting steadily down and was happy for the comfort and warmth of my covers and the fact that I didn't have to get up early to go anywhere this morning.

A couple of hours later, I came downstairs in my warm robe, and before coffee, before reading, I stepped outside on the porch. The first thing I noticed was the sound.  Fuda Creek, normally a trickle, is a raging torrent.  Hearing it, I could imagine there is a river in my woods. 

The sky is periwinkle white, a color you might paint on  your wall, going for white but wanting just the tiniest hint of blue.  It has a scrubbed quality to it, as though the rain drops held within tiny grains of pumice, abrasive as they fell, scraping every floating particle and leaving a pure, clean sky.

The air has that after rain scent, cool and fresh, that makes you want to breathe deeply.

It is a good morning to be home.  A good morning to have work to do.  A good morning to be energized by the gift of a rain soaked earth.  I wish I could bottle it and sip it through the day.  Instead, I may just bundle up and sit on the porch with my biology books and let the creek sounds and the clean air fill my ears and lungs and make me feel alive, really alive today.

But first, I want to shout thanks to God for...

580.  The gift of hearing and the wonder of ears.
581.  The gift of smell and the wonder of brains interpreting molecular stimuli our sense receptors pick up.
582.  The gift of sight and eyes to see.
583.  The gift of touch and the ability to feel cool air, to sense the tiniest damp breeze on my face.
584.  The gift of taste and the pleasure of that first sip of hot coffee on a cool morning.
585.  A day for study and the delight of learning.
586.  A day for cooking and the joy of sharing good food.
587.  The anticipation of this season and time to think about Emmanuel, God with us.
588.  The anticipation of reunion and celebration.
589.  The consistency of reading with Coty and the boys.
590.  Knitting to keep hands busy when my body sits still.

It's a good morning that feels full of fresh energy for the day's work.  And now, on to it....