By: Sara Wall
She looked out at the pale morning sky and exhaled deeply. The sight was brilliant; so miraculous. She was enjoying her coffee on the front porch steps, basking in the quiet stillness of the morning. She rarely got up at six, but something had possessed her on this particular morning, but she didn’t know why just yet.
A slight spring breeze blew through her tousled hair, lifting her mood for a moment. Why did she feel so different? So rejuvenated? For the past few months, she had felt hopeless and lonely, so what was so different about this morning? She had always treasured the fresh morning sun, but lately she had been indulging in her loneliness to even notice the beauty.
She let her gaze wander out to a couple taking an early-morning stroll hand-in-hand. Her heart seemed to briefly stop at the sight. Hadn’t she just months before laid down her struggle at the foot of the cross? Don’t do this to yourself again, her mind seemed to say. Haven’t you been through enough in the past year?
She felt sad seeing the happy couple, unable to control her emotions. Her heart kept telling her that could have been her in the future, if only she hadn’t messed up so much….
“You’re doing this to yourself again. What is the point of reminiscing?” Her reprimanding didn’t help; a tear peeked its way from her eye and slid down her pale cheek. She caught the tear in her trembling hand and stared down at it. “Don’t you look familiar?” she spoke to her tear. “Why is it that you seem to be my only friend?” She looked down at it in silence, as if waiting for it to answer, when suddenly the light breeze picked up again and blew the tear away. She looked up at the sky in amazement. “Are you taking my friend away?” she asked the wind.
She realized she was being foolish. I have always been single; I have survived, so why am I so worried? The sensible part of her tried reminding her aching heart. She took a drink of her steaming coffee and set the mug back on the step. She bent to rest her chin on her knees and closed her eyes. Why do I always hurt myself? Why do I allow myself to give in to these discontented worries about my singlehood?
She forced her weary eyes open and saw that the happy couple had crossed onto another street, and another older lady was approaching on the sidewalk across from where she was sitting. She seemed deep in thought as she hobbled on, alone. Was that going to be her thirty years from now, all alone with no one but her tears to offer her company? She tore her eyes away from the woman and found that new tears were falling freely from her mournful face. They wouldn’t stop, no matter how many times she wiped them away. Her whole being shuddered as she thought of the loneliness, the bleakness of her future.
She glanced back at the lady, and with moist eyes noticed her pausing to examine a daffodil growing beside the sidewalk on the grass. The lady knelt to pick it up, and her thin lips curved into a contented smile. The woman walked away, the lovely smile not leaving her face. She watched the lady until she was out of view, wondering at her scattered thoughts, as she tried to put together that smile of hers. The soft breeze picked up again, wiping at the tears on her cheeks like a gentle caress of a hand.
The realization hit her then. She looked up at the orange illuminated sky and found herself smiling. “Lord, why do I always forget? I’m single, but I seem to forget You are there for me.” She stood up and raised her shaking hands to heaven.
“You wanted me to come out here this morning to remind me that You love me more than anyone ever could. You showed me the happy couple to make me see that I don’t walk alone; that You are also walking with me. You showed me the single lady to make me see that even if I feel that I’m walking alone, I should kneel and remember You; You were the yellow daffodil the lady picked up.” Her smile widened, and her heart filled with renewed hope.
The breeze picked up again and seemed to tug at her heart, giving her shivers of joy. She laughed and let tears of discovery flow from her shining eyes. “My God, You wiped away my tears with Your hand, didn’t You? You’re kissing away my sadness with Your spring breeze, aren’t You? You made me see the beautiful truth with Your breeze; Your morning kiss!”
She spun around in delight, feeling like a child, allowing God’s morning kiss to blow through her senses.
Never had a morning kiss felt so healing.