Awaken

Our first full day on this service learning journey begins. While some still sleep, others are already stirring. Today will be a day filled with play and laughter—a gift of joy and community building as we prepare for the work that awaits.

There is much that has been done, and much still to do here in the hills of western North Carolina. We step into the day with open hearts, ready for what it will offer.

To help us begin, a poem:

Fresh Morning

by Joyce Rupp

I awaken to the sun’s hush

spilling gold on my windowpane,

to a wind-scented breath of dawn

inviting me to begin again.

There is grace in this newness,

quiet hope wrapped in sky and dew,

as if the earth herself were praying:

“Be renewed. Be light. Be you.”