nostalgic insomnia

There was something quite unique about that sunrise.
Granted, I hadn't had any sleep that night. What with the archery at 9am that morning, with the high ropes course to follow... a half-eaten lunch and then heat-rash after the canoeing experience where me and Cassie's boat capsized when our plan to drown Dom backfired... and even after all that excitement, I still had time to get my hair dyed, watch the youth in fits of laughter or staring in awe during the brilliant display of talent during the variety night, and stay up for late-night games and "de-briefing" with the staff.

Me & Dom were in the common room for about 2 hours and all of sudden it was 4:30am and we heard determined teens rummaging through their blankets in their distressed attempt to press "snooze"... but by 5am they'd stumbled out of bed and walked up that confounded hill with combined determination to watch a brilliant sunrise.

And it really was quite brilliant... despite Phil & Jan's description of the previous day's artistic heavenly display. We spent about an hour watching grey clouds wander by, making pictures and finding friends.. I was warped and worn out to the bone, but I think that was a precious moment, sitting on the wooden table with Dom, Phil, Bec, Jan, Charmaine, Karen, Tony, Raf and Chris.

I remember for a moment this morning I closed my eyes and just listened to these young people chatting away to each other in the early hours of the day... and I opened my eyes and suddenly I say rays break through the clouds, and suddenly I was witnessing one of life's greatest lessons...

Everyday God will give us something priceless and unexplainable...

Everyday it will be up to us to put in the effort to find it.

There will be days

[like when the kids were getting out of bed],

we'll want to postpone the search, or we'll find an excuse and say we can't be bothered...

There will be days

[like when we walked up the hill]

we have to trek a difficult distance to get where we need to go so we can dig up the treasure...

There will be days

[like when we realised it was cloudy]

that the priceless treasure we yearn to hold will be hidden or concealed... and it will be up to us to see the beauty in having to look for the treasure... or perhaps in looking we'll discover a unintended treasure..

There will be days

[like when some people left because they thought it wasn't worth it]

that we miss out because of impatience

BUT

There will be times

[like this morning!]

When we are there to witness something breath-taking and unrepeatable, and we made the effort, trekked the distance, saw the value and waited patiently...

And the day's gift will unfold in all it's majesty.