KC woke the next morning to the sound of the grandfather clock striking six. Out the window, the sky was still dark, and the rest of the house was silent; but there was a tingling in the air that energized her to her very fingertips. She couldn't go back to sleep. Knowing that the rest of the family wouldn't stir for another hour, she slipped her feet out from under the covers, into the cool air, and stepped onto the hard, wooden floor. Though she did her best to be quiet, the floorboards creaked as she quickly dressed herself. She ran a brush through her hair, and slipped on her shoes. She couldn't explain it but something was was calling her, urging her, outside, and she ached to answer!

She put on a jacket and grabbed her bible. No time to grab a glass of milk, she passed through the kitchen and stepped out the back door, into the fresh, cold, early morning. She could see her breath in the crisp air. She walked briskly into the forest surrounding their rustic house.

Though the sunrise was just barely visible above the mountains in a faint, gray glow, and the colors of the forest would have normally gone unnoticed, hidden in the shadows to any other eye; To KC everything seemed alive and wonderful. She didn't know how it happened, but there it all was.

The green leaves rustled in the refreshing breeze as if just waking up themselves. Somewhere a bird greeted her, and as she looked up to find it she was astounded at the barrage of colors surrounding her in the sky. Melding together were indescribable scenes of blues, purples, pinks, and even tints of greens and golds; such colors had never introduced the sunrise before! At least not in her memory. But as she stood transfixed, she actually witnessed the painting deepen, ripen and bloom into a magnificent royal procession: the grand and dramatic entry of the sun. With awe filling her very soul, the only thought that managed to squeeze into her mind was, "Why did I ever want to sleep in and miss this?"