Actually, summer vacation began for me nearly a month ago. I'm been fluctuating between relaxed and bored, sleeping in 'til 9:00 or so and spending a lot of time just sitting on the front porch.
Today I decided to greet the dawn. According to the movement of the sun and the moon, summer officially begins this afternoon, so this was the last sunrise of spring. I was still in bed when the first bird chirped, but I was on my porch with my first cup of coffee before 5:00am. Here are the notes I scribbled down...
Tuesday...as spring gives way to summer...I wasn't outside for the first bird's first chirp, but its still dark and the stars are just beginning to fade. I can still see the north star. Wish I had a clearer view of the horizons. The air is still - very still. I wonder if birds greet the dawn in the winter? Because of clocks, I'm half way to work by now in the winter.
I just heard a dove join the chorus of birds. Doves must sleep in.
Do birds greet the dawn in the desert?
Late night people in cars are replaced by early morning people, but still the air is very still. I can feel cool air on my body, but there is no breeze. The deep blue changes to light blue, but in the east the sky looks more grey than blue. I can still see one star, and the birds are still chirping but I have to strain to hear them. More of a chatter, or chorus, no more solos.
I see a nice patch of the northern sky from my porch. The North Star has faded of course, but I know where it is. I cannot see the east or west horizon. I hear more of man's noises now...but, hello there, a soloist near by, and now a sort of call and response. The east sky is white, but I cannot see the Day Star. I can barely see the lines on my paper. A dog is barking, 2, I think people are probably walking by their yards, but I haven't seen any people yet. I really need to experience the sunrise on the desert. Ah...two humans walking a dog, and a crow caws in the distance. A very slight breeze, the leaves on the trees are moving some. The moon is gone...I often see moon sets on the way to work. The stars are gone. There is a slight pink glow in the east. The rest of the sky is more grey than blue. I'm on my third cup of coffee and it's not yet 6:00am. I should hear the church bells soon. The baby across the street is crying. I wonder if my babies (Ethan and Tziporah) are awake. Shouldn't everyone be awake by now? It's daylight now. I can make out individual bird songs, but can't identify what birds they are from. I know the Robin, Dove, and Crow. I had a friend, Mike Carlson, who was an expert on birds. I bet he'd know what bird was singing what part of the chorus. I see some birds flying by. There is a tall tree across the street. It is half dead. Birds are perching in its branches. I can't tell if they are facing east. the sky to the east is a pale yellow now. Two "Indians" are walking by and the church bells are ringing. 6:00am on the last day of spring. It will be summer by 2:00pm. Sun rise on spring. Sun set on Summer. The longest day of the year. Now that I can see I'll read Psalm 8. The sun is shining on the tops of the trees, they are glowing...Ah...there it is, through the trees, I can see the sun..."Here comes the sun..." didn't the Beatles sing that song..."Good morning Starshine"...isn't that from Hair. This is my 60th summer. It is the first summer in ages that I haven't been involved in Ministry. No VBS, no Tent Meetings, no Mission Teams. Last year we did the Wild Horse event, VBS, Back to School event, plus EV conference. We were looking to an active fall and winter of church growth. But that didn't turn out the way we expected. And I am still dealing with a sense of guilt over the failure of The Mission, and a root of bitterness concerning the EV church, Repenting. Summer is upon us, and I am looking forward to August and the start of a new school year. And that is all I wrote!
