Evenings and Mornings, Gifts to Cherish
God called the light day,
and the darkness He called night.
And there was evening and there was morning, one day . . . .
Genesis 1:5
Then God created the sky and the dry land and the seas and vegetation and birds and the creatures of the sea and the creatures of the land and the ancestors of you and me. At the end of each day of Creation, Genesis 1 tells us:
And there was evening and there was morning, a second day . . . .
There was evening and there was morning, a third day . . . .
There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day . . . .
There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day . . . .
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day . . . .
Genesis 1:5-31
So went the Creation of the world, and so, too, go our lives, day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year. We live a day. We sleep. We live a day. We sleep . . . and on it goes blessing after blessing.
A few months ago, someone told me about what happened morning after morning when he was a child. He got up, fixed himself some slices of toast and a glass of milk, got ready, and left for school while his stay-at-home mother slumbered away in his parents’ room. I feel sad every time I envision that little fellow getting himself off to school.
Each evening and morning with our children is a gift, a gift to cherish. Evening is the time for warm hugs and sweet kisses, for whispered “Night, nights” and faithful prayers.
Gute Nacht, engraved by Ludwig Richter, c. 1880
Mother & child at bedtime, painted by W.P. Frith, etched by Lumb Stocks, 1800s
The good night kiss, c. 1880
The sand man’s a’coming, c. 1909
Mrs. Atkins reading a story
to Ann and Pierce before bedtime,
Greenbelt, Maryland, 1942
photo by Marjory Collins
The child’s prayer, c. 1900
Morning is the time for smiles of welcome, for greetings that assure, “I’m glad God made you. I’m thankful you are who you are. Praise God for letting me be your mama.”
Good Morning, 1889
So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You
a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
All images are courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
This is one of my favorite blessings of homeschooling: peaceful mornings and cuddly evenings. My most prominent childhood memory is being flooded with anxiety from the moment I wake up because I mustn’t be late for school. The house was filled with angry voices and impatient questions (where are my socks?! Have you brushed your teeth?!) and constant screams of ‘hurry up!!’ I am incredibly grateful that I can wake each of my children in turn with a back tickle or a foot rub to come to the family room for family Bible time. It gives them time to wake up calmly to face the day.
Absolutely beautiful, Venessa. What blessed children you have!!