by Kimberley Rockdale

Created on: December 05, 2008

I have to admit, I woke up this morning with tears in my eyes as an overwhelming sense of loneliness washed over me. The days can be long at times when working from home. It's one of the pitfalls that counter the many blessings and flexibility. The fast approaching winter makes its reality even more stark and real as I spend more time indoors and away from the social activities of the community.

He came padding into my room before dawn, that son of mine, as if on cue. His eyes were already mischievously lit with a gleam that matched the grin on his face. "Good morning!" he said exuberantly as he plopped himself down on the edge of my bed. I couldn't help but smile back at him, hoping he didn't see the remnants of the tears I'd just wiped away with my hands just before his eyes met mine.

His joy this morning wasn't centered on anything in particular. He'd had a long weekend off and was due to head back to school in a couple of short hours. Usually that was enough to have him moping and dragging his feet, but not today. His joy was absolute, unconditional and infectious.

He coaxed me out of bed by offering to race me in the quest to get dressed so we could go and watch the sunrise. As he hurried back to his own room intent on winning the challenge, I couldn't help but smile and shake my head. Somehow he always seemed to know when I needed a little extra prodding to start my day.

I graciously let him win the contest and the smile on his face was worth the defeat and rousing round of ribbing I had to endure. We grabbed the camera and headed to our regular sunrise watching post on Rathtrevor Beach.

As I recalled the reluctance I'd felt upon waking, as we stood on the empty beach by the water's edge and watched the golden rays of the sun rise on the horizon, the spectacle unfolding in front of me came with a lesson.

Without fail, during the summer months on this very spot the sun blazed daily to a waiting audience of early risers waiting to marvel in its beauty and wonder, but as the season faded, tourists went back home and the mornings grew too cold for the locals to muster the courage to venture out of their warm beds to watch its glorious ascension. But the sun still rose and not only did it continue to rise, its magnificence not fading away with its dwindling audience, but it grew even more beautiful.

As I stood there with my son watching it rise in front of me, my blues were washed away by its golden hues as I realized that its worth was never provisional, it was inherent. Such as it is with each of us. Whether we happen to be surrounded by many or walking through this world for a time alone, we are inherently valuable and our worth and beauty should never be equated to any external circumstance.

Life continues to be ever evolving and yet our intrinsic value and beauty remains constant, just as that of the sunrise. Another sunrise, another lesson, another day begun.

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