Miracles

     For those who don't know, I have a part-time job on Sat and Sun as a donut maker at a little gas station called Casey's. I get up every weekend at 3:00 am and get ready for work. It's not that I like my sleep being interupted and it isn't the pay that keeps me going back week after week. There's not a single benefit, unless you count the ones I make up as I go along.
    
      I arrive at work at 3:30 in the morning. The whole town is quiet. I like to stand there for a minute and just listen to the silence in the air. It's the only time I actually get to "hear" silence. To be honest, my mind is still unaware that I'm even moving around at that time. I'm pretty sure I'm on auto pilot for another hour.

      I go inside and turn off the alarm, clock in, and it's off to the kitchen. For the first hour, I'm taking stuff out of the freezer, loading donuts into the oven and frosting them as they come out. At 4:30, I take a small break to let the mixture temp for the next batch. Here comes one of the benefits I was talking about.

      When  4:30 hits every morning, I get to watch the last of the stars disappear from sight. Everything in the world is gold and the birds begin to chirp. It's like watching the world come to life. The lights go from blinking red to normal stop lights. The sky is brushed with a soft glow and there is a certain feeling of newness all around. This is one of the benefits. It is one of the reasons I like my job. For me, the house is almost always choatic. Everyone has their own agenda and I always have to make sure that things go smooth. In that single moment, the world is mine. I can think without interruption and that in and of itself,  is a miracle.

      Truth be told, I'm sure that it's the silence of the time that draws me. It's one of those rare little miracles that goes unnoticed on a daily basis. There is an old saying, "Silence is golden." I have to say whoever said it first, knew what it was like to have a house full of kids and a few pets wondering around. Throughout the week I look forward to that time on the weekends even though there are times when I wish I didn't have to get out of bed. When 4:30 am hits, I'm glad I did.