Mornings

Weekend mornings hold a special place in my heart. There's just something beautiful about waking up without the dreaded sound of an alarm, isn't there? 

This past Saturday, I woke up to a dark sky. It wasn't so much the open my eyes -- stretch a bit -- roll over to go back to sleep type of awake. It wasn't even the open my eyes -- stretch a bit -- reach down to check my phone -- roll over to go back to sleep type of awake. 

It was awake awake. 

And it was also 5:26 AM. 

Now, I'm gonna go ahead and guess that a lot of people would be legit pissed at this point. It's kind of an underlying truth of adulthood, isn't it? You're never able to sleep in when you have the time to. 

But I wasn't pissed. I've come to really appreciate mornings like this. Mornings where I have hours ahead of me with no commitments. 

***

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I often find myself dreaming of future seasons. After all, the saying "the grass is always greener" got popular for a reason, right? 

Right now, there are a lot of future seasons ahead of me. There's the season of dating, embarking in a committed relationship with a man of God. 

There's the season of engagement. Making it official that I have limited days as Miss Amy Reed ahead of me, and marking that I will soon be making vows to spend the rest of my life with another. 

There's the season of being a newlywed. I'm sure this season will entail a lot of awkwardness as I start living with a man for the first time in my life, but it will also mark an incredible season of love. 

And of course, there's the season of parenthood. The sleepless nights, soccer practices, dance recitals, and I'm sure a lot of pulling my hair out. 

Will all of these seasons happen? God knows the answer to that. 

But am I left with a lot of potential future seasons to dream about? You bet. 

***

This particular Saturday morning, at approximately 5:30 AM, I realized something. I realized how priceless these mornings are to me, in my current season. 

These mornings where it's just me and God. Where I can immediately start my day without distractions, in prayer with Him. Where there's no stress, only peace. Because it's just me. Getting ready for whatever the day has ahead of me. 

These weekend mornings where I can fill those first few hours with whatever my little heart desires. Whether it's reading the Bible, journaling, or catching up on my favorite tv shows. 

I'm a big believer that there is beauty in every season. And it's important to recognize that, and appreciate it so you don't miss that beauty. 

Because before you know it, you will wake up and find yourself in an entirely different season, rejoicing over something entirely new. Or, facing new struggles. 

***

So I made a vow to God this past Saturday morning. I vowed that I want to try my darn hardest to wake up every single morning, and immediately give thanks to God for this season. 

To thank Him for these mornings. And to really, truly appreciate them. 

Because I know it's only a matter of time before I'm waking up to a snoring husband or screaming children. 

So in this season of singleness, I will walk in thankfulness.