It was just another normal Saturday morning.  Nothing was out of the ordinary except I awoke earlier than usual.  I toss and turn for a few moments and decide to begin my adventures prior to the sun rising.  That is where my troubles began.  First the fog was so thick it made driving difficult.  The wind was blowing a little harder than normal which makes low light photography a little tricky.  Add to that the temperature was cool enough to make a jacket a necessity.  And I begin to wonder if I should have stayed in bed.

        In spite of the obstacles and my silent objections I keep traveling toward my goal; Mountain Long Leaf National Wildlife Refuge.  I was determined to watch the sun rise and this was the shortest drive from my house (20 minutes).  I finally arrived at the summit of the mountain about 45 minutes before the sun rose.  And after I make the short walk to the overlook I was rewarded with one of the most extraordinary mornings of my life.  The horizon was set on fire and blazed in fiery color.  The thick fog that once hindered my progress now lapped at the mountains below me like gentle waves kissing the beach.

        I took this photo just as the sun and I began to play peek-a-boo.  It was truly an amazing morning.  It began normal enough.  Nothing seemed magical about this morning.  In fact the evidence was piling up to proclaim this a bad day for photography until I determined to make the most of what I had been given.  That is when I began to see the extraordinary beauty hidden in this ordinary day.  The truth is we could all find many wonderful treasures hidden away in our common everyday lives if we only looked for them. 

        Stop looking at the negative side of things.  Search for the hidden treasures locked away inside this ordinary day.  Today you might find something that could change you life forever.  Today someone could fall in love with your smile.  That person we take for granted could turn out to be our best friend.  Love can make ordinary people extraordinary.  Nothing is ordinary if you know how to use it.  Everything and everybody is filled with wonder.  Search for the splendor to be found today.  Today is a gift; unwrap the hidden beauties of this ordinary day.  Happiness is a choice; choose to search for hidden treasures.

Something to think about:

• Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, savor you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may for it will not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky, and want, more than all the world, your return.

• I simply believe that there is a mystery of the ordinary, that the commonplace is full of wonder, and that this life is different from what we think it is. It is infinitely more subtle, more powerful, more dangerous, more magnificent, more exciting, more humorous, more delicious, more adventurous, more involved, and more troublesome than most of us think.

• Faith wears everyday clothes and proves herself in life’s ordinary situations.

• Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good. Try to use ordinary situations.

• One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.

Thankful for this extraordinary ordinary day
Rickey Moore