Can I be totally corny and a little Hallmark….
….just for a moment.
I can’t help it.
This morning I had a revelation that is really not even much of a revelation….more like totally stating the obvious….but it was something that was so brilliant in its simplicity and even a little life changing….
….that I had to share.
This is the view that I see every morning when I greet the day.
I wish I could tell you that when the first bit of morning arrives and the sunshine streams in through the window….I immediately sit up and stretch and toss off the covers and leap out of bed with a smile on my face and joy in my heart and twirl around the room and reach out with both arms to embrace the day.
I wish I could tell you that.
But I can’t.
Not even close.
Most days I open one bleary eye and shut it again and roll over and pull the covers over my head and wish that coffee would immediately teleport itself from the kitchen to the table beside the bed.
And besides….
….we haven’t even gotten to the corny part yet. 🙂
This morning was no different.
The sun streamed in the window. Â I opened one bleary eye to face the world….
….and then shut it again.
“Did you see the sunrise?” my husband said. “It’s absolutely magnificent.”
And as those words managed to permeate my befuddled sleepy brain….I had three thoughts:
1. Â Why is anyone talking before 6:30am?
2. Â I think he’s been watching too much Downton Abbey.
3. Â And….
….of course the sun is rising.
Of course?
Really?
This stunning display of orange and gold and yellow and red and tangerine rays more brilliant than any five star review on the Las Vegas strip is dancing across the sky and over the tops of the highest trees and into my window…..and my only thought is….
….of course.
I couldn’t help it.
I felt a little small.
Of course the sun rising and setting
Of course the flowers are starting to bloom.
Of course the grass is growing.
Of course the clouds are rolling past in the sky.
Of course the wind is blowing the branches in the trees.
Of course.
So many amazing brilliant…..almost incomprehensible things make up this wonderful world that we are blessed to live in…..
…and I so many times I overlook them.
I take them for granted.
I let them go by without notice or comment or even a second glance.
I’m too busy running and going and doing and planning….that I miss so much of the wonder around me.
Not today.
Today I totally went all Hallmark and ran out of bed onto the back porch and twirled around and around and around in my pajamas and laughed at the sheer joy of it and raised my arms to the sun and watched the sun raise its glorious wonderful head to face another day….even if it was 17 degrees. 🙂
A today that is full of joy and promise and an extra cup of coffee….
….of course. 🙂
PS Â I wanted to give a big shout out to the cows and sheep who witnessed it all….
….and danced right along with me.
edited to add:  I just heard that it might snow tomorrow….and if it does….I’ll remember I’m supposed to give joy for each day and grit my teeth and dance then too. 🙂
I hear you! One eye at a time. I too get the morning sun in my bedroom, and I would have that fantastic light display If only I would walk across the room and open the wide slatted blinds! Ha! Just saw your guess girl at the bottom....what a hoot! Sheila
I am so glad you finally woke up to the beautiful day. It is so nice to see things in color instead of the grey and off white that has been around for the past few months. Our grandson used to wake ups and say, "It's a brand new day" with a big smile on his face. And that extra cup of joe makes us appreciate things all the more. Have a wonderful day!!
I am can truly picture you twirling around I your pajamas.. good for you! I am not a morning gal either but have noticed the sensational sunrises in Kentucky. Before this year, I missed seeing the sunrise due to being in my kindergarten class preparing for the day before dawn. Now I am a bus driver with only one precious passenger my 15 year old son. He amazed me when he pointed out how pretty the sunrise was recently. He said mom I am so glad you taught us to look upward in the morning as well as enjoy sunsets at night. When they were little, we always took the time. As they got older and I returned to teaching full time, seemed like life was too hectic to slow down and enjoy. So glad your husband and my son made us slow down and enjoy. Enjoying life truly can be found in sunrises and dancing with the cows! Bet your day is just going to be beautiful!
I just love you!!!!!
Thank you for the reminder that we have so much to be grateful for! I discovered your blog on New Year's Day and just love your stories and your posts!
Yay,for twirling in jammies! Double yay for living in the country where jammie twirling won't get you carted off to the looney bin. Just talked about by the cows over their dinner hay. :)
This post was a great gentle reminder of how I should be starting my day:).
glad to hear you danced like no one was watching-- even if the were:)
Good Mornnning, KariAnne. I'm not swirling in the bright sunlight,but I' m happy that you can. Looking out our kitchen windows while having breakfast, the wind is swirling dusts of snow, the little sparrows and mighty cardinals are lost in flight against the wind's power. And as quick as a wink, it stops. And the snow falls. If next winter mimics this years, I am headed to Florida!
You are awesome!!! And such a good writer. Love reading your posts.
I love reading your posts. I discovered your blog while visiting a friend in KY back in October. Your pictures are beautiful and you and your family are too.
Oh, KariAnne . . . I feel you. The first Sunday morning we had Praise Band practice rehearsal at 7:30, I was a little resentful of that sunrise. I mean, that was earlier than I got up for WORK all week long! But as the weeks wore on, and I got used to it, I started appreciating the sunrise. It just gave me a little more time to praise the One that MADE that beautiful spectacle. I'm sure your cows and sheep were overjoyed at your appreciation of what they see every day. :)
LOVED this post...such a good reminder to embrace the blessings of every single day!!
Mornin', Karianne! Here in Florida, our sunrises and sunsets are nothing short of spectacular....thanks for the gentle reminder to drink them in and rejoice in the glorious gift of another beautiful day! A dear friend of mine calls these magnificent reminders "postcards from God".....I love that! Just gotta "read our mail" in the morning, right? And it's perfectly okay to do it in jammies, with a steaming cup of coffee, and maybe even a danish or two! Perfect way to start the day, in my book....jammy dancing with God!
I just heard of a cool thing a local church youth group is doing here in South Florida. They are doing a sunrise/sunset worship. It starts near us (Ft. Lauderdale) on the east coast of Florida during the sunrise. They have worship with music during the sunrise on the beach (Atlantic Ocean). Then they have breakfast, drive to Naples (west coast of Florida) about an hour and a half away, spend the day and witness the sunset there in Naples on the beach (Gulf of Mexico)! I am so going to do this with my son. I have lived here most of my life and never thought of doing this sunrise/sunset trip! Thanks for the reminder of something so glorious we take for granted. Sun's about to come up now. Going to watch!
Good Morning Karianne..I guess we should all take a lesson..That would be the ideal way to greet the day..
OK, I'm officially jealous! Not only do you have a gorgeous bedroom (I love your wake-up-to table), but you throw in dancing cows and sheep! No fair! (I'm just glad you were twirling and not twerking.)
Thank you Karianne for the reminder to be thankful that the sun does rise and the sky is blue today!! I have a really bad habit of not wanting to open my eyes either! And my bedroom is painted a yucky color green… that's not so happy. I think I will paint soon!
Good for you. I enjoyed the vision. I confess I do wake up smiley. Many years ago I made a habit of making my first morning thought "Thank you God for this day.". It has served me well.
KarriAnne you put a smile on my face when I read your posts your so adorable!!
This was so fun and funny! When I saw the title I thought "the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup"...ok I sang it in my head. As I read a long I thought no it's not about coffee until I got to the coffee bit, but the sun is definitely much better than coffee. :D Oh that view, that glorious view. I need to hurry up and give my space some more love! What a lovely room you have!
KariAnne, you're my little ray of sunshine each morning when I read your blog. Thanks for reminding us what a wonderful world we live in.
Fun mental image of you and the cows and sheep twirling!!
I vote that the sun give a little reprise every morning at 9am of the show it put on at 6am. You with me?
Wonderfully written!! Your images of tulips and thoughts of growing green grass/flowers made my day. I'm a Montana girl and we are supposed to be getting 8 more inches of snow this weekend. Any glimpse of spring {or at least knowing that spring is happening somewhere} makes my heart very happy right now.
At first I thought you were doing a Folgers commercial...hehe! I started to sing the jingle in my head! You are so right...we do take so much for granted. The sun comes streaming into our bedroom in the morning, and instead of being thankful for that...all I saw was the layer of dust. I think it's fantastic that you danced and twirled...I need at least one cup of coffee before I twirl! ;)
Karianne, Upon first reading your title I immediately thought... "...is Folgers in your cuppppp" ;-) ~Sarah
Morning Sunshine! I must say, I drug myself out of bed this morning one limb at a time. For some reason I was not feeling the wake up and shine thing today. Reading this makes me want a redo! I awoke to grey.... but the sun has redeemed itself and is shining for all it's worth. A beautiful Florida day!
Thank you for this lovely and powerful post. I'm was just sad when it ended and you didn't add that every one of those things is a gift from our amazing, loving Heavenly Father, gifts of love. They haven't happened by accident once in the long history of this world. You are so right that we miss so much of the wonder, beauty and majesty that God is giving us every moment and we would be much happier people to do like you shared in this post...but culminating with thanking and praising Him for His unfathomable love and blessings that He literally swaddles us in every moment. Whether the sparkling glory of morning or the star studded peace of night, whether the trembling power of a mighty storm or the tiny cry of a new born kitten, every moment, every breath, every joy, every comfort in sorrow is His continuous gift of love to us beckoning us to notice Him, to draw our hearts to Him that we may be His. He is astounding! Big hugs! Love your blog and have followed since the beginning.
This winter has been too long and too cold and too snowy for many of us, but we should not take one day, or one moment for that matter, for granted because our time here is truly so short. Thank you for sharing your honest hallmark moment and reminding us all to dance in our pj's, thankful for every new day. Great post!
Your stories always lift my spirit and make me happy! Wish we were neighbors but then so does everyone else that reads your blog! It would be pretty crowded with all the KariAnne admirers!
Right there with ya! And by the way, love that little table at the end of the bed!
Today you outdid yourself, KariAnne...... WHEN will you write a novel? I'm waiting for it, sweetheart. You know you've got it in you. ...and so do all of us.
Thanks KariAnne - the timing could not be more perfect - I'm having a tough emotional day with all of lives complications - your post today just put things into perspective - everything will be ok and the sun will rise again tomorrow! Have a beautiful sunshine day! xoxo
Maria Von Trapp ain't got nothing on you! :D
As always, just hate I wasn't next door twirling away with you!
We all need to be reminded, that there wonderful things around us. Family, friends and the beautiful sunrises and sun sets. We are all looking forward to the Spring more than ever this year. Even the Winter has it's beauty. So we should all be thankful we are FREE to enjoy all those moments. Thank You, for sharing yours.
KariAnne, Your post today reminded me of one of my favorite recently discovered songs by Jason Mraz..... "93 Million Miles" "93 million miles from the Sun, people get ready get ready, 'cause here it comes it’s a light, a beautiful light, over the horizon into our eyes Oh, my my how beautiful, oh my beautiful mother She told me, "Son in life you’re gonna go far, and if you do it right you’ll love where you are Just know, that wherever you go, you can always come home" Listen and enjoy!
If it does snow again, and I go outside and dance in the falling snow...and my family looks at me like I'm crazy, I'm going to say Karianne made me do it! Hahaha ;) That's a good thing though!
Don't ever change! I love you just the way you are today! I feel like I've known you for years. Have a very blessed day.
I'm very much like you...morning is not something I eagerly embrace. And lately, I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but the sun is very sly, it looks warm outside but it's just teasing us. 9 degrees here in Chicago today. Grrrrr... Better to dance than grumble though!! XO, Jane
I totally enjoyed this post. My hubby gets up at 5:30 a.m. every morning and it truly amazes me that sometimes he actually tries to speak to me. I just barely focus in on him at that time and he must sense that I am thinking "WHY??" and goes to the train. I am trying not to be a downer either but right now it is so hard to embrace the mornings with snow surrounding us and it being so cold. We are all so tired of it in NJ. Cynthia
I read this and thought, "At least she gets to see the sun! It's ... yes ... snowing and blowing yet again." But, on the good side of things, school wasn't cancelled, I got to go to the symphony with my son on a field trip, and NOW the sun IS shining here (I just won't think about the temperature--gotta stay happy). I've gotten better at being more cheerful in the mornings, but I could totally relate to "Why is anyone talking before 6:30 a.m.". Thanks for the laugh. :)
Living in Tn. and seeing the sunrise over the Smokies is truly a work of art. We take so many things for granted. Mornings are a wonderful time to reflect on our blessing. You inspire so many people. Thanks for the beautiful blogs each day!
I am ashamed to say I slept in this morning, late, REALLY late. I can't remember the last time I saw a sunrise. My hubby is NOT, NOT, NOT a moening person. I think I could be but I stay up with him til midnight so getting up before 6 is not an option right now. I love, LOVE the image of you DANCING and twirling in your jammies along with the cows and sheep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for the reminder to BE THANKFUL every day just for waking up! I do usually say a little thank you prayer sometime during the day. You are the best, Karianne.
Such a cute reminder for us to be thankful everyday! loved it. Lynda @ Gates of Crystal
"'cause waking up is hard to do…" Hope you had your house shoes one! Loved the pictures.
You go girl!!!!! Glad you took a moment to enjoy the sun. xo Alison
LOVE this! And as for the snow...still not a flake here in Murfreesboro, TN. The weatherman actually said that they are calling us the "snow dome!" So, those sleds that Santa brought 3 years ago that I thought were finally going to get used for the first time this year, still sit in our garage...untouched. So enjoy that snow for us! :) Life to the full! Melissa
I've been having similar thoughts about March. There is something very comforting in knowing that March always, always comes after February. Every year without fail, we get March. And March is the start of a new season filled with warmth and flowers and green grass and my first trip to the beach for the year. Of course! Thank you for sharing your revelation!
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I praise God for creating the world and the beauty He gave us to enjoy. So many people wake up in a hospital bed,or starving,or grieving, we truly have much to be thankful for. What a blessing indeed. Sunrise and Sunsets pure joy!
So true and so fun. You can't make yourself a morning person, but it is fun to see it every once in a while. A morning person, I am not! My husband and future son-in-law are though. I found this out (about the son-in-law) on a recent beach trip. I casually asked what he would name their first child. "Lacarthatron" was the answer. Good Land, who but a morning person could think of that before having coffee? (Scary thought...what if he was serious!)
What a refreshing post! So uplifting! Thank you.
That was hilarious! I am a morning person even as a child I was always the first one up ready to take on the day. Every morning I am up before my alarm even on weekends ,and I have a plan of what my day is going to be like. When I get up I run circles around my Spouse, I'm sure it drives him crazy even though he has never said as much he just smiles at me over his glass of orange juice . :)
Today is full of joy and promise.... I think this saying needs to end up on my wall somewhere so I can see it everyday!! ~Cheryl https://snaps-of-ginger.blogspot.com/
from DebbieE: Your bedroom is so beautiful. I felt peaceful just looking at it. It is wonderful to appreciate it. Too often we rush, rush, rush.
Sounds like you woke up to a beautiful morning, even if it was cold. I woke up to hearing rain and I was so delighted - I got up and went to the dining room window so I could see the rain falling. The wind was really blowing and the rain was coming from every which way. But I was to thankful as this has been the driest in 150 years and we needed the rain for the farmers, the cattle and the fruit ranches. I must say that I pray the people in the fire area's do not have flash floods. We are going to have until Sunday morning. God is good. Have a wonderful weekend and hopefully you will get some warmer weather soon. Mary
You're so funny and cute and full of life! Your bedroom is beautifully decorated and I really like the gray color on your chairs and bed. I'm sure your hubby was surprised and happy you arose!
I am so glad you got to regain the joy of each morning. Whether bright or dreary I love mornings. I have trouble waiting to get up. I am usually up way before daylight, so I admit to missing the sunrises and sometimes the sunset way too often. I am late again, but today (Saturday) at about 11:ish AM....... I took your advice and danced and twirled around........... and almost all of my fur babies joined me and just loved it all.
A very wise lady always answers me in the same way when I ask her how she is doing...she will always answer, "I am good, as today I woke up and saw the sun"... the very wise lady is my 88 year old, double infinity, mom... Glad you embraced the day in our "twirly whirly pj's"...
Two days ago, I went to the mailbox and found eeny-beeny crocus "sprouts." I planted 100 of them last Fall and just seeing one-inch green blades tells me that Spring is almost here.