Woe, Whoa and WOW

   Early morning, before sunrise, has become my favorite part of the day. It is quiet and peaceful, and, I guess I should say, a good time to pray. Sometimes I do, but often I just think or exist in that time before other things begin to crowd in.

   This morning I was thinking of some things that I would enjoy doing today. But I knew they would not work out because of other things that needed to be done. It was easy to think…

   WOE is me

   Woe is me…I would sure rather be doing something fun for me (the emphasis being on "me"), than some of my responsibilities. It is easy to get into that trap, and I guess I wanted to wallow in that ditch for a while.

   Not only that "woe", but then a little black varmint, a mosquito, began to buzz in my ear. We have had quite a bit of rain lately, and those guys are breeding fast and looking for blood. This one buzzer must have called his friends, because I began to hear several more and even felt them on my bare arms and legs. At least I thought I felt them.

   I cut my walk short and, moving slightly faster now, made it back to the condo.

   Then I thought: Why not get the bike out and ride fast enough to stay ahead of those blood suckers?

   Back out on the road, moving, feeling the wind instead of the pests, I was still thinking of what I could not do. But also thinking of how good the bike felt, and that the morning was still quiet.

   As I rode under the tree canopy, the road turned eastward and the vista opened up to this:

   WHOA

   A bright orange and red sky, illuminated by a sun that had not yet peeked over the horizon.

   It was as if God had wanted to stop me in my "woe" track and get my attention.

   When I turned in the cul de sac and moved back west again, 2 deer came across the road in front of me. As I passed where they had come across, movement off to my left caught my eye. Three more of  them stood watching me go by.

   I slowed the bike, made a U turn, and went back to see the other 3 more closely, and, as I did, that orange sky hit me again.

   WHOA, it was s if God was saying

   "Have a Nice Day"

   And I forgot about the mosquitoes…

   WOW