How often are you thankful for a fresh start in the morning? New day, new dawn, new mercies, new opportunities. Over and over, day after day, we are given another chance to live fully alive.

On a trip to the Grand Canyon, I definitely wanted to view the sunrise, even though it meant waking up early in the darkness on a cold morning. I took my place along the rocks on the rim in the predawn chill to wait with others, all of us ready for nature’s show. We huddled in jackets and blankets, anticipating what we knew was coming. The vast canyon was dark. We couldn’t see its depth or the various ledges and slanting formations and trees that we knew were still there.

Then bits of light began to show through the thick clouds. Gradually the canyon became visible again as a new day dawned. Suddenly the sun burst fully through the clouds and lit the scenery. Morning had broken. The curtains of the night parted, and we marveled at the endless beauty once again on display.

We greet each morning with the same “contours” as the day before. We may be with the same people, have the same problems, go the same places, go through the same routines, but today is not the same as yesterday. The light comes and we wake to a new day, new mercies, new opportunities, new beauty.

What circumstances in your life make you grateful for a fresh start each morning?

Linking up with 52 Weeks of Happiness and Sweet Shot Tuesday. Photos were processed with Kim Klassen’s textures Shine, If Only, Revolution, and Oh, My, two on each photo.