Beep, beep, beep – 4:45 a.m. sounded the alarm clock. I sat up in bed, wiped the crust from my sleepy eyes, and stretched forth my arms toward the ceiling. I was quite tired, and as I collected my thoughts I instantly began dreading the long day afield. But, I had a job to do, and so I got dressed and gathered my pack of research gear and equipment and headed out.
According to my calendar, sunrise was not to occur until 6:01 a.m., and I had plenty of time to make it to my final destination of Prairie State Park. It was still dark and a bit cool outside, but the 35 mile drive up Highway 43 in my pick-up truck allowed extra time to ponder my morning’s duties and activities. Neither heat nor A/C was necessary. So, I rolled down my truck window to aide in the process of becoming fully awake and alert – paying little attention to the roof liner damage which worsened as I approached full speed; the touch of the cool wind on my arm and face had invigorated my senses. I became keenly aware of the sights and sounds to which I was a grateful spectator.
With each passing mile on my journey northward the night began to magically turn to dawn. I was treated to glorious glimpses in the morning sky – sights to behold – unlike any before or since. At no cost to me, whatsoever, I’d been freely provided a front-row ticket to one of the most fantastic out-of-this-world experiences . . . a prelude to a sunrise.
Colors abounded and deep shades of pink and purple delighted my imagination. An overwhelming backdrop of light blues accompanied the white streaks of soft clouds which shifted boldly – eagerly rolling and racing across the sky. The eastern horizon line provided the contrasting dark to the light and proudly embraced its role as the point-of-no-return, the giver of day and taker of night.
Something special had happened before my very eyes – it is doubtful that fortuitous moment could ever be repeated. Through a rarely seen depth effect which caused the clouds to appear as a continuation of the landscape, it became difficult to make the determination where Earth ended and Heaven began . . . and it was mine to take in – just me – alone, about to witness the extraordinary birth of a new day.
“Enjoy and keep a good thought!” Bob P.
Zero528 
