Tag: dawn

Posted in color

Another unique pink dawn sky

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The rays of pink penetrating the dawn sky took away my breath. I took a picture, knowing they would last but a few moments.

For some reason, two-thirds of the way through summer, the sun, clouds, and sky collaborate to create living works of art.

Thick air greeted me as I stepped out of the house. Even though the sky was clear, no humidity had escaped overnight. The moon and a couple of planets hadn’t yet retired for the night. The birds had just begun to sing. The longer red and pink wavelengths stretched up from behind the trees, rewarding early morning walkers with a beautiful pallet of colors.

I’ve seen lots of pink dawn skies, but I’ve never seen this one. And I’ll never see it again.

Posted in construction

It’s just a bit early for that, don’t you think?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
It’s 6:15 and they’r at it already

The big dog and I got out just before sunrise for our morning walk. It was worth it being out early, when the early morning clouds are painted just about every shade of pink there could possibly be.

But it was noisy. Typically at that hour the only thing I hear is bird song and a panting dog. A low roar in the distance puzzled me. When we rounded the first bend in the road, I saw what was going on. Masons had fired up a small concrete mixer, preparing mortar to finish brickwork on a house under construction. I glanced at my watch. 6:15 am.

I said out loud, “I’ll bet the neighbors love this!” I don’t know if the workers heard me. Too much noise. I always thought they couldn’t start work till about 8 am. I know it’s a lot cooler in the morning, but that’s early to crank up the power tools.

Towards the end of our walk, another neighbor was loudly trimming his hedges. I glanced at my watch. 6:45 am.

Oh, come on. Really? You don’t think any of your neighbors are still sleeping? Give me a break.

I know these are hot summer days. It’s so much better to get outdoor work done in the cooler, early morning hours. But this is ridiculous.

Posted in Life, Resurrection reflections

The Last Act of Love: Women at Jesus’s Tomb

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared” (Luke 24:1).

I’ve never felt compelled to go back to the cemetery where my mother and father are buried. I know that many people do. Before his own death fourteen years later, my dad planted flowers at my mother’s grave at a church in suburban Philadelphia. Others return to talk to deceased loved ones. Some go to confirm genealogical information.

Those who went to the tomb were women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to Jerusalem. They watched as Joseph (from Arimathea) and Nicodemus (John 19:29) took Jesus’s corpse from the cross, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a cave, a garden tomb cut in stone. That all happened late Friday afternoon, just before sunset, the beginning of the Sabbath.

These women went to the tomb to complete the burial ritual for Jesus. This includes washing the body, rubbing it with spices, and wrapping it with a shroud, before placing it in a tomb. It was a last act of love, a final goodbye, and part of their grieving process.

It probably wasn’t the first time they had done this. But death is death, and their hearts were heavy. Their minds were filled with horrific images of crucifixion. They had no thoughts about the future. They focused on the task at hand.

To catch the nuance of this verse, try to remember a moment when you had to say goodbye.

It was that kind of a morning.

This is the second in a series of reflections on Jesus’s resurrection as recorded in Luke’s gospel.

Posted in Life

My Morning Ritual

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Yara on Unsplash
Daily writing prompt
What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
View all responses

My body usually wakes me up around 6 am every morning. I don’t even have to set an alarm.

After I pull on some pants and a t-shirt, I hit the bathroom, wash my hands and face, and wander out to the kitchen to start the coffee maker that I set up the night before. It takes about five minutes to brew the pot. I drink a big glass of water and wait to hear five beeps from the coffee maker. It’s ready!

I drink my coffee black, so I fill up my favorite mug and sit at the dining room table with my bible, journal, and a pen, and do my morning reading and writing. I’ve been reading straight through the bible for years. I read a chapter or two and write down my thoughts, which may be the start of a devotion I’ll write for my blog. I also write what I did the previous day and the things I need to do today.

Sometime during those quiet moments, I’ll hear the big dog (our Great Dane) stirring in the back bedroom. So I let her out of her cage and take her out into the back yard. When she’s done doing what she needs to do, I fill her bowl with food for her breakfast and another bowl with water. She’ll usually lie down for a few moments after she eats, giving me a little more time to write.

And that’s my routine just about every morning. In the summer when the sun rises early, I’ll sit outside on the back patio. It’s so nice to be out there as the sky slowly brightens with all sorts of colors. It’s an amazing moment when the birds suddenly all start singing.

Posted in outdoors

Awake and outside for the dawn

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Simon Wilkes on Unsplash

I wasn’t going to get up early. But I heard the Great Dane pup whining from her cage at 5:10 am. The granddaughters were spending the night, and I didn’t want them to wake up, so I quickly snuck in the back bedroom and led the big dog out of her cage, leaving everyone else behind (including the little dog) to keep snoozing.

I got her out just in time. She must have had a lot to drink before bedtime. I gave her breakfast, grabbed my coffee, journal and bible, and went out on the back patio.

Yeah, it’s still pretty dark at that hour of the morning. The humidity must have been down, because the table and chairs weren’t wet with dew. For some reason, the LED lights on the umbrella weren’t working, so I had to rely on my phone balanced on the coffee cup with the flashlight on to see what I was reading and writing.

The big dog patrolled the yard, got a drink, and sat down under the table where I thought I could put my feet. No one else in the neighbor was up yet, so there was no one to woof at. Yet.

As the sky got just the slightest shade lighter, dozens of birds started chirping, calling, and singing. I was amazed at how the morning went from quiet to noisy in just a few minutes.

Suddenly, the big dog trotted off across the yard to let out an enormous, “Woof!” I don’t know what she heard, but it set off the dog alarm. It could have been a frog jumping out of the lawn or a car door in the distance. I barked my own, “Hey!” and she trotted back to see what I wanted. I just didn’t want her to wake everyone up.

Sitting outside is totally different than being inside at my desk. I don’t know if it’s the sounds or the fresh air or the morning breeze. It just feels good to be out there. And since the high temperatures will be in the nineties and the evenings get kind of buggy, it’s the only time during the day I can sit outside.

So I guess I don’t mind being woken up early.

Posted in Life

The magic of the dawn

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Even the dogs noticed how loudly the birds were singing. The cardinals led today’s chorus, greeting the dawn with such enthusiasm that both dogs looked up with curiosity. I’ll bet they wondered, “Who else is up this early?” A few blocks away, mourning doves called back and forth. Bluebirds chirped from the overhead wires.

The air was still as the neighborhood came alive with sound. The smallest bit of orange tinted the eastern horizon. I saw one light in the sky, a planet. The stars had called it a night.

We left the house about 6 am. Lots of outdoor lights were on, but the insides of most of the houses were still dark. Less than a quarter mile down the road we pass a home that is bathed in blue light. Blue lights are on either side of the front door, line the driveway, and shine up into the trees. Yes, I can tell you support law enforcement.

We’ve walked a mile and a half before the first car passes, doing at least 50 on this long, straight stretch of road. Probably a preacher, anxious to get to church and practice his sermon. The truck that slowly pulls into a driveway is someone getting home from work. It’s tough to work an overnight shift.

Some people still have cans lying on the front lawn two days after trash collection. There are seven cars parked in a circular driveway in front of another home. They must have a lot of guests for the weekend. A pile of wood from a discarded fence is still piled on the curb. I wonder when someone will haul that away.

About forty minutes into our walk, we notice the squirrels and bunnies. I notice the blue, cloudless sky. When did daytime get here? When did the night sneak away? That moment is part of the magic of the dawn.