an early morning [moment]

[moment 10]

Up before dawn once again, having already washed dishes, wiped down counters, and generally cleaned up, I gazed out my dining room window at the snow-blanketed street. Wrapping a blanket around my shoulders, I sat down at the table with my macchiato, a pad of paper, and a pen. 

Before putting pen to paper, I paused for a moment to take it all in - the silence, the snowfall, the lights, the cinnamon and espresso scented steam, the warmth of the mug in my hands, the luxurious softness of the blanket wrapping me in comfort, and the blessings of shelter, food, warmth, love, beauty, family, peace. 

In this moment, I thought about the Afghan evacuee family we're helping to resettle. I thought about how, when they wake, they will be marveling at the snow. About how, at the same time, they will be continuing the struggle of missing their family - the family they left behind in Afghanistan, their family members in Germany, and their family members spread around the United States. And about how they had to leave everything behind to get a new start in a new country. How difficult it must be to feel at home when the landscape of your life is so foreign to you!

It is my hope that someday soon, the feeling of home will come easily and naturally to our New Start family and they can, too, enjoy early morning moments in the comfort of home.