I decided long ago if I didn’t wake up at least two hours before the rest of my family, I would not be my best self.
What I do during those two hours has ebbed and flowed over the years. And really, the morning routine I practice is almost less important than the solace those two hours provide. It’s usually dark outside as well which makes me think the whole world is sleeping too. So it’s just me… and God.
…and also sometimes podcasts.
This morning, because we are doing such a good job of putting them to bed at 7, my boys woke up right in the middle of my hours of solace. One demanded I turn the light on in his room so he could get dressed. Another asked “When are you gonna start on our breakfast?” And just like that, the peaceful morning was over.
But then just as I was getting bent out of shape due to the interruption to my morning, one kid came up to me out of the blue and said “Mommy, do you miss us when you drop us off and go to work?” I looked at his sweet face asking that simple question and replied without hesitation “Yes!”
I’m trying my best this year to keep up with my two hours before the world wakes up. But I’m also trying my best to be grateful when little heads peep out of their bedroom doors and ask to be a part of the morning world I’ve created.
My prayer for all of us today is that we find the beauty in the interruptions, in the unexpected, in the unpredicted. May we take a breath when faced with something we didn’t anticipate today and say “God, help me find you in this too.”
