Daybreak

Most mornings I am awake before sunrise, and it's become a habit to get up and experience the dawn.

It's been quite cold at night here, so I rarely go outside to enjoy the morning view, but by opening all the blinds, I am greeted every morning with a special gift.

Off to the west lie the Magdalena Mountains. From where I sit they're not exceptionally high but provide a distinct horizon. Often the higher peaks have snow and if there are clouds in the sky they are usually in this direction.

The light on these mounds changes constantly. Did I ever know there were so many hues of blue before New Mexico?

Some mornings I am greeted by the moon still hanging above these cliffs while the sun is preparing to rise in the opposite direction.

To the east lie a ridge of low mesas, apparently flat but on closer viewing alive with detail. At first, the sun still below the horizon, they take on a sharp silhouette, ebony against the dark blue of the emerging daybreak. Slowly the blue brightens up and then the sun quietly rises, changing the landscape to reveal a new vision every day.

When I see the early rising cranes and geese, it is always against this tableau and it never fails to move me.

As the sun continues its ascent, the vista opens up and I often try to imagine what life must have been like here along the Rio Grande in days gone by.

This land has taken a true hold on me, I feel at peace and at home.

Life is good.