One bitter cold morning, I stood in the Great Smoky Mountains before dawn. At first, only bits of blue and pink were visible in the sky. I could make out the curves of the mountains, but they were not yet kissed by the sun. If I squinted, I could see the treetops. The subtlety of the scene was breathtaking. I knew that these were moments to cherish – that light would soon change everything.  

And it did. Over the next minutes, sunshine and color and mountains combined into a dramatic crescendo. I will share that image in my next blog post.

But the aha moments kept coming as I watched the firmament come alive. I turned toward the west and discovered that light had painted the tops of the trees. I looked up and saw a rapidly changing heavenly landscape of color and cloud and mist. Each minute gave a different, inspired gift.

My takeaway - enormous gratitude.