Sunrise... Every Day

Daily Gratitude Year 5-Day 221: Today, I am grateful for the sunrise... every single day.

No wonder man has always been fascinated with the sun. It's faithfulness and warmth are two qualities that often seem rare. 

Ah... I knew it... Earworm is singing "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord Oh My Soul)" but he is including "Here Comes the Sun", too. In fact, I might get an entire playlist. How many times is the sun mentioned or celebrated by poets, singers and songwriters? Countless. 

Back in the 70's, there was a song titled "Seasons in the Sun". It is a ballad... my favorite kind of song... and the tune is so catchy. Here is a little history:

Originally "Le Moribond" ("The Dying Man"), this was written and performed in French by the Belgian poet-composer Jacques Brel in 1961. The American poet Rod McKuen translated the lyrics to English. In 1964 The Kingston Trio released the first English-language version of the song. This is the version Terry Jacks heard, which became the basis for his rendition.

Terry Jacks offered the song to his friends, The Beach Boys, and he even flew to California to record it with them, but Brian was impossible and they never got it finished. He ended up recording it himself. I love The Beach Boys, but this song was meant for Terry Jacks. 

His version of the song gained new meaning when one of his best friends at the time was diagnosed and dying of leukemia. You can hear the sorrow... but the celebration of the friendship, too. There is full gratitude for the time together. It resonates deeply. 

"We had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed
Were just seasons out of time."

If we live a full life, grief comes. Some get more than others, but in truth, we learn so much from the taste of sorrow. We learn even more when we develop the habit of greeting each new sunrise with a thankful heart. 

O Lord, you are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.-2 Samuel 22:29 (NLT)

Other translations say "my God illuminates my darkness". He is light. The sun obeys Him. The sun gives us understanding of His mighty ways. So many analogies could be drawn. I've always loved that in English "the son" and "The Son" are homophones. (They sound alike, are spelled differently and have different meanings.)  

As the sun rises each morning with faithfulness... so my Lord rises to shine light into my darkness. Any time. Any space. And, and place. I need only trust and look to Him for each and every season in the sun he grants me another day. 

When I was little, Grandpa Lindgren used to check the obituaries every morning. If his name wasn't there... he deemed it was going to be a pretty good day. Later in his life, he was realized that either way... he won. Another day in the sun, caring for animals and working the land... or his first day with the Son in heaven. A win-win for sure.  

Today, I am grateful for the sunrise... every single day.