At 6:00 a.m., God's world is on fresh display. I meet very few people, see a minimum of cars and hear little man-made noise. But the birds are out in full force. I seemingly inhabit a low-rent district in wingdom, where the sparrows constitute a majority. But they share space with a respectable mix of other songsters and their spontaneous choruses are beautiful if not harmonious. My territory, like Thomas Gray's churchyard, includes a "moping owl," and old Mr. Crow, the neighborhood bully, occasionally reminds us all of his presence.

The azaleas are in full bloom now -- brilliant reds, charming pinks and innocent whites. So are the redbuds, flowering plums, and a spectrum of other trees covered with tiny green buds ready to burst into this year's latest fashion in leaves.

Who could ask for a better setting in which to be quiet, to listen, to be still in God's presence -- and, finally, to tell him "Good morning," to offer thanks and praise, to present oneself afresh to the Creator, and to make a few special requests? I am alive! More than that, we know the only true God, and Jesus Christ his Son -- and that is life eternal.

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