“Wow Auntie Anna, your hair looks amazing…..”
“Auntie Anna, you forgot to give me an m&m…”
“AUNTIE ANNA IS AWAAAAAAKKKKEEEE!!!!!!!!!”
“Gjaodfj ockjcisoask….. that’s alien for Good Morning! Hehehehe!”
“Is that coffee?”
These are actual quotes of things that have been said to me in the mornings. Please note: I am NOT a morning person.
I wake up blurry-eyed, hair looking like I put my finger in an electrical outlet, a frown permanent on my face until I have that sweet first cup of coffee. I have never been good in the morning, its just not in my blood. So I find myself here, 5 months after returning home from the World Race, living in a house with 5 children who wake up at 7:00 every morning shouting at the top of their lungs.
Why would I do this to myself? I know that I don’t do mornings, so why would I put myself in a place where I know I’ll have to face the day much earlier than I wanted to? Because these crazy kids are my nephews and nieces, and waking up to their faces and their voices makes getting out of bed a little less difficult.
The excitement and love I am met with every morning makes it all worth it. These are five beautiful faces who are happy, over the moon excited to see me every morning, and that is a beautiful thing. This opportunity I have right now to live life with my sister and her family is teaching me that family is important. I feel so blessed to live here, to watch my nephews and nieces grow and learn something new every day. There are good days and there are bad days. There are days when I feel like my 10-year-old-introverted nephew and, to quote him exactly, “I just don’t want to be around children right now!” But then we tuck them into bed at night, and they hug my neck and kiss my cheek and tell me how much they love me, and I know that there could be nothing better than this.
So I wake up to the sounds of screaming and shouting and laughing children, and for the first time in my life, I look forward to the mornings.
I have a reason to wake up.
How many of you can say that? Heck, how many times in my life has that NOT been true? As this year comes to an end, I can look back with a smile on my face and I can with confidence say that I LIVED! Not just that I didn’t die, but I really truly LIVED!
In 2015 I climbed mountains (literally!), I explored new worlds, I fell in love with a child who wasn’t my own, I saw things that I have only dreamed about, I went on a honeymoon with God, I cried, I laughed, I jumped into a canyon and lived, I fought for others, I fought with others, I loved and pursued harder than I ever have before, I felt grief, and Joy, and Peace, and unsettled, and comfort, I have LIVED FULLER than I have ever lived before! Now I wake up with a smile on my face because now I have a reason to wake up! I can look forward to every day because I know that God has an awesome plan for me and for the day ahead of me, and I can feel JOY in every little thing that happens!
2015 was the year that I LIVED! and now….
I AM A MORNING PERSON!!!!
