For me, the best time of day is early morning, before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. Early to bed, early to rise, does not make me healthy, wealthy and wise, but it surely is my most energy filled part of the day. The air is freshest, the birds are twittering in treetops and I feel the energy bubbling up within me, as I hobble out of my comfy futon bed.
I remember how much fun the children had when we'd go camping, with our tent and rubber air mattresses to sleep on at night. The campfires at dusk were a time of togetherness that bind people together. Stars overhead sparkled like tiny diamonds in the sky. Somewhere, we could here a whipoorwills nostalgic call.
The only bad thing about those rubber air mattresses is that often we would wake to find they were flat as a pancake and it did not bring a smile to anybody's face. Ouch!
But early morning was there to greet us with the scent of pine trees in the air and beautiful splashes of peach and pink colors against a sky so blue that only God could paint it to perfection.
And why is it , that the smells of coffee brewing over a campfire and the scent of bacon frying , seem like the closest thing to heaven when you are out in the woods. I'd like to think that it is because we are alone together sharing simple things that build fond memories.
It is wonderful, sometimes, to sit beside a quiet brook or waterfall and let our thoughts wander back to all of those fond pictures and feelings we store in our mind. Usually, we remember the best things and leave out the not so good items like mosquitos and flat air mattresses.
In my art, I draw from many warm memories of younger days with the children, to paint memories for other people so they can be transported to happy times in their lives.
If we focus on our blessings and look for joy all around us, it will be there.
Follow the rainbow, not for the pot of gold, but for the promise of each new day it gives us.
