The animals woke me while it was still dark, just as they said during orientation. I scrambled out into the chilly morning dusk glanced around the empty campsite, and was immediately drawn to the lake.
I passed by the cold campfire, grabbed my chair and travel mug with coffee from the night before. Mmm still luke warm, made me smile.
I drug myself, achy back and arms full, feet shuffling across the bark-covered ground under the trees, down to the edge of the tall green grasses that provide a nice transition between us and the shoreline.
It was a dim sky, dawn was approaching tenderly, and I could just make out a couple of cabins hidden in the trees directly across the lake. My sleepy mind was captured by the scene as the faint but distinct glow began to creep up beyond the far horizon to my left.
I closed my eyes, breathed in deeply, and my heart smiled again. After a few leisurely moments of this solitude, the sun suddenly broke into my morning bliss and send golden ripples across the sleepy surface of the waters. As I watched, everything took on a new glow. The old log, the giant boulders, the grasses, the sand... they all responded cheerfully, and oh so beautifully to the sun's gentle confidence as it took command of this new day.
I know it sounds odd, but I had to remind myself to close my mouth. I was having an "awe" moment. One of those that creep up from the inside and take you over. My heart was swelling, and I could feel the teariness coming on. I love mornings like these, in places like this. I love Boy Scouts. I love these boys. I'm so grateful that I get to share in these experiences.
I was waking up now, and I was utterly happy inside.
