The Gift of Each Dawn

     Yesterday I went to the movie "Les Miserables."   What a powerful movie!  I really enjoyed it, but what I noticed most was not the powerful performances or the beautiful visuals, but rather the memories that arose. It was such a different experience watching the movie as a 46 year old than reading and discussing it as a young adult.
      As a student I took years of French and loved literature classes (even audited Shakespeare the semester I took 26 credit hours...).  Lets just say I have studied Les Miserables in both English and French several times.  The thing that stood out the most, what I remembered from all of these studies was a disrespect of certain aspects of the story. In each classroom setting, the life story of Jean Valjean and his life long quest for redemption is subtly belittled.  At the time, I didn't even notice.  Now it is embarrassing how little I questioned authority.  Of course, the Naval Academy is not known for creating independent thinkers, rather, fine Naval officers.
      Yesterday, the kindness of the priest and Jean Valjean's continual efforts to become the man God created him to be feel just right.  Each morning as I lay in bed after waking up, I resolve to do better than yesterday.  Each dawn is a fresh start.
      Don't get me wrong.  These resolves can be dashed to bits in a few moments by life's harsher realities, but each morning I relish the opportunity to redeem yesterday's mistakes.

       Talk about a great beginning for the new year.  To realize, consciously, the gift of each dawn.  Here is a picture of today's.  I plan to do great things with it.