A Mary Moment Monday post

I’m an early riser by nature. (That does NOT make me a Morning Person. Nooooooooo.)

When the pup’s pestering me at 5:30 in the morning, I’m sometimes already awake (depending on how late I stayed up reading). I’m pretty okay with stumbling out of bed, making my coffee elixir and savoring the silence of the pre-sunrise.

sky

Fifteen years ago, I’d get up and spend those early hours reading. Sometimes I still do, but there’s a marked difference now.

sunrise2

Now, I begin my days with a rosary.

I’ve tried beginning my day other ways, both intentionally and accidentally. There are seasons (like when I have a sick child or an infant) when all I feel like I can do is wake up and stumble around. There are times when I need extra sleep and I don’t beat the kids up by much, if any.

wintersunrise

But I’ve learned (and seem to have to relearn every few years) that how I begin my days makes all the difference. I need to grab my lifeline first thing, to remind myself of my priorities, to know that Mama’s right beside me from the very start.

Today at Integrated Catholic Life, in fact, I wrote about just that. See you there?