early morning

It is just Elliot and I this morning by the light of the Christmas tree, he with his banana and juice and me with my cup of tea (I have officially not been a coffee drinker for almost 3 months now, and know not when my stomach will-- ever?-- again agree to it). Daniel is at a meeting and the other children are still asleep.

My boy snuggles in close. He points to things and says words I still don't understand. I know what he means, though, because the intonation and expression in his voice does the trick. He loves the tree. He loves the candles. He loves his banana. He loves my belly.

Mornings are happy times for Elliot. He is generally excited about life at this time of day.

Although mornings are not historically happy times for me, I have learned to find pleasure in the quiet, the peace, the ticking of the clocks that are usually missed the rest of the day when my family fills this space so fully that there is no room for such observances.

Mornings in December have never been hard for me to enjoy, though.

I actually love them.

Perhaps we should have a beautifully lit and decorated tree in our home year-round.