My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. ~Psalm 5:03

When I used to visit my dear friend Georgie, she would get up before me. For the rst hour, I could hear her saying as she walked around her apart- ment going about her morning rituals, “Thank you, Lord. Thank you for a good night’s rest. Thank you for a nice warm shower. Thank you for a great breakfast.”

By the time I got up, Georgie and I were both in a good mood that usually lasted all day.

Georgie died in the early hours of December 26, 2010. She had promised we would spend my birthday (the day before Christmas) and Christmas together. As soon as Christmas ended, I reminded her that she had kept her promise. Then she slipped away as I sat by her side reading her favor- ite Psalms to her.

Now every morning, I get out of bed saying, “Thank you, Lord…”