Easter Sunise

The phone rang early. Real early.. as the sun just peeked over the small hills behind our house. Mike was always up at dawn, he loved the mornings and he loved to talk! If you know Mike you know he had "the gift of gab!"
So he was always cheerfully trying to bribe me out of my warm bed with the bait of a hot cup of coffee..made perfectly.. just for me. He would dangle my opened.. fuzzy robe and patiently wait for me to slip into it, only to see me stumble to the couch and back into my sound, slobbery slumber.

I am not a talker or a morning person!

Oh, but that glorious morning sun would creep in through the kitchen windows and fill the whole great room up with it's beautiful warm rays of sunlight. The rooms would glow with a rich sparkle and give off such a grand feeling of renewed spirit!

Ring!! Ring!! " Hello" Mike said. " Isn't it a beautiful sunrise this morning, don't you think?" came from the soft voice on the other end of the line. "Why.. yes! Ma mam. It sure is!" my husband answered. The woman replied "Oh, I'm sorry, I' have the wrong number. I thought I was calling my daughter. I thought I could share the sunrise with her." To which my husband responded with " That's OK, I too am up early and enjoy the sunrises ." And so the friendship began.

Mike often talked about his "Sunrise Lady Friend."

He would tell us of how she called often.. over the next many years...whenever there was a magnificent sunrise and she wanted to share it with my husband. He told us that she was an elderly lady, widowed, and was living on a ranch in Yerington, Nevada.


He also said she loved to paint sunsets and sunrises from the window of her room. He would often say, "My sunshine lady called this morning and wished me a good day!" and we would all giggle! Half thinking it was cute and half thinking he just made the whole thing up. If you now Mike... you know he likes to tell stories.

Until.. one morning when our boys were up early getting their horses ready for a roping, and my youngest answered the early morning "Ring, Ring"! "Hello!" ....."It's another beautiful sunrise isn't it!" Well. ..then we were all convinced! And....after that Mike would always remind me of Edward, the main character in the movie "Fish!" (You gotta see that movie.)

But eventually the phone calls stopped, except one.

And this time, it was me who answered that phone. And the conversation went something like this: "Hello, I don't want to bother you and I don't know how to ask you this...but was a lady calling you quite often and talking to a man about sunrises?" I had told her "Yes" and that my husband was always talking of a lady who phoned him early in the morning just in time to catch the dawn. The woman said "That would be my mother". This lady had told her children of a man who's number she had accidentally dialed and had conversed with for many years about her love of sunrises. The family was very apprehensive at first we learning of this relationship and were more concerned that she might be a nuisance, but she assured them that all was fine and the friendship was mutual.

She was indeed older, but not too elderly or feeble, but was limited to her wheelchair. She loved to paint pictures of sunsets and sunrises from the view of her second story bedroom window, while remaining on her family's multi-generational ranch.

Sadly, she had just passed away. Her family wanted to thank this mystery "sunrise man" as she talked highly of him. They wanted him to know that they appreciated the fact that he took time for her and tell him of how he gave her great pleasure and companionship. They invited us as guests to her funeral.

Now, that early morning sun shines every day through our bedroom window glaringly...right into my face! It warms up our bedroom and it's bright sunlight rouses me up if though I really don't want to wake so early.... as I'm still not a morning person! I usually roll over and snuggle up to my sleeping husband... thinking of the many years gone by.. watching my husband breathe...the one that can't seem to notice the blinding light or the dawn he used to treasure so much! He is very tired now and his energy is low. Ans his gregarious nature is all but gone. He needs a renewed spirit!

For those of you who have inquired, his dialysis is going Ok. He is not a candidate for a new kidney as he was taken off the liver/kidney transplant list when he got diagnosed with cancer.

He is a strong man and has overcome such huge obstacles so far and for that I have tremendous faith in him. As long as he has God and the love of his family he will remain strong. I thank you all for your concern and esp. your prayers. You mean alot to Mike, me and my kids. I wish you a Happy Easter and hope you enjoy many beautiful Sunrises!