Sunrise Picnic

In celebration of my birthday last week, I requested a day of picnics! After delivering May flowers early the last couple of years and seeing the sun coming up over the water, I wanted to see the sunrise without having to watch where I was going - so David suggested a boat landing I had not been to and I made cinnamon rolls the day before.

Everyone was a good sport about getting up early and we definitely made a fun new memory! Arriving early to the dock, the sky was already looking streaked as with a watercolor brush, on the edges you could see the hues of the color spectrum in all its beauty.

I'm not always a big fan of living near the water, but the sun on the water is stunning and gorgeous! A dolphin or two greeted us - though we did not capture any in photos. We just sat and watched the morning emerge. I looked up sunrise on my Bible app and we read a Scripture. The breeze off the water was damp and cool, making us wish we had brought warmer clothes!

Rachel picked me some yellow flowers that frequently grow near the water's edge and they collected small sticks and leaves to play a version of "Pooh sticks" - do you remember that from Winnie the Pooh? I love this season of mothering - having teenagers is just the best.

A couple of crows loudly "singing" reminded us of the Aesop's Fable about the Fox and the Crow and we chatted about anything and everything and nothing just enjoying the sky that changed moment by moment.

The clouds started to glow and we knew that the sun was close to peeking up over the trees along the horizon. It is like Wilbur in Charlotte's Web who is waiting with anticipation and joy for that moment when the sun comes up! The smudge of dark in the water is a collection of drifting sticks that floated along.

It is tempting to feel disappointment that the clouds from the other side were moving in as it became overcast part of the morning - but then to know that each sunrise is different and unique - it has never happened on this day before. This is a special gift to this day and it was absolutely beautiful -

Cinnabon Copycat Cinnamon Rolls with buttercream instead of the usual cream cheese frosting were our celebratory fare! At the end of our breakfast, we had quite an adventure when a larger boat went by and left a large wake. This caused the dock we were sitting on to bend and fold like a caterpillar! It was quite a sight - it looked/felt like perhaps what an earthquake feels like under your feet when you can't get your footing and things are topsy turvy.

Thankfully we grabbed things like my camera and phone and were done eating because water started splashing up in between the seams of the dock. It was pretty crazy for a few minutes and our blanket was soaked - we ended up laughing about it together and deciding that we definitely made a new memory over it!

What a wonderful start to the day - it was beauty-filling and a celebration of God's great artistry!