MORNING eveRlaStING

I need longer mornings.

Seems like everything important that should be done should be done first thing in the morning. But there’s only so much morning.

The late and legendary pastor of First Baptist Church, W.A. Criswell, used to advise young preachers to “give your morning to God and your afternoon to the people.” So the first thing in the morning, I know I ought to begin my day with some devotional time of Bible reading and prayer. And then I should get straight to reading and study for the Sunday sermon or the Wednesday Bible study. There’s not enough morning for all that.

If you want to maintain good health and fitness, you really need to do it first thing in the morning. Fitness trainers agree that you can do your workouts any time during the day, but if you put them off until later, the demands of work and family tend to get in the way and squeeze out your run or swim or bike or whatever. Maybe if I do that before sunup

I have undertaken to write a book, and I am finding that life and work keep getting in the way of my attempts to write. The best advice I have gotten so far is — you guessed it — to get up a little earlier and give your first hour each and every day to writing. You can accomplish more than you know by just disciplining yourself to write for an hour a day before the telephone starts ringing or some emergency strikes.

A few years ago someone who knows my secret loves gave me a book of daily selections from great literature, and then another with a daily snippet of American history. You can learn a lot about a lot if you just dedicate a little time first thing each morning to nurturing the mind.

They say that if you start your day with a math problem of some sort, it’s really good for brain health. Journaling is good for your soul. Those art books on my shelf keep telling me that the visual arts shouldn’t be neglected, that just looking at pictures of great art (or listening to great music) for a little time first thing in the morning

A good breakfast is crucial for a good day.

Breakfast is, they say, the most important meal of the day. You ought to sit down and eat it slowly. I like to do that with coffee and the morning paper — right after all the other things I should have done but slept too long to do first.

Oh yes, that reminds me, getting enough sleep is also very important. You can even lose weight just by getting eight to nine hours. That’s my excuse.

We all suffer from unfulfilled good intentions. We make promises to ourselves we can’t keep, and then we carry around selfcontempt on account of our laziness.

Here’s the thing: when you die, there will still be things to do on your to-do list. People we call great are often incredibly accomplished at what they do because they do almost nothing but that. They lack the kind of balance that allows for love and friendship, for recreation and renewal.

We can only make a start at it all in this life. But thanks be to God for the faith that eternity picks up where time leaves off. The poet Robert Browning said, “Man’s reach must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”

Maybe heaven really is an everlasting morning when we can get to all those things we ought to have done first thing.

Mini Mysterysolver

Stults Road Elementary celebrated reading by inviting parents and neighbors to visit classes throughout the day for storytimes. During the community read-athon, students and teachers dressed up as their favorite literary characters. Fourth-grader Portia Boyd, for example, dressed up as detective Nancy Drew. “She’s a good problem solver and I am, too.”

daY IN cOURT

Lake Highlands resident Tanya c ox recently was sworn in as a Dallas Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA, by Juvenile District Court Judge William Mazur CASA is a nonprofit organization of volunteers appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the foster care system. As a CASA volunteer, Cox will serve as a voice for children who have no one else to speak for them. To learn more about CASA, call 214.827.8961 or visit dallascasa.org.

TO ad VERTISE ca LL 214.560.4203

TuToring & Lessons

A+ PIANO TEACHER WADE COTTINGHAM Super Refs. LWood Res. wadewademusic.com 214-564-6456

ART: Draw or Paint. All Levels. L. Highlands North Rec. Ctr. Jane Cross. 214-534-6829, Linda 214-808-4919.

ARTISTIC GATHERINGS

Art Classes For All Ages. Casa Linda Plaza. 214-821-8383. www. artisticgatherings.com

DALLAS COLLEGE & TEST PREP Tutoring: SAT, ACT, THEA, TExES, Math, English. www.dallastestprep.com, 214-341-0076

DANCE-MOVEMENT-SOUND is Dance, Gymnastics & Instruments for boys & girls, 2 1/2 & up. Ballet for 3 & up. 20 yrs exp. Plano Rd./ NW Hwy. near Kroger. Anette Brown 214-893-3715

DRUM & PIANO LESSONS All Ages/All Styles. Your location. UNT Grads. Betty & Bill 972-203-1573

GUITAR, PIANO, YOUR HOME Fun/Easy. 9-Adult. UNT Music Degree. Larry 469-358-8784

VOICE TEACHER with 37 years experience. MM, NATS, MTNA www.PatriciaIvey.com 214-324-5625

Spanish Immersion Classes in East Dallas

Private and Small Group Classes for Adults & Children Spanish Immersion Preschool Mon. - Fri. 5740 Prospect Ave. #1000

DallasSpanishHouse.com 214-826-4410

ChiLdCare

CUDDLY KIDS Now Enrolling All Ages. Hourly/weekly Care. Fri-Sat. Till 11:30pm. cuddlykidscare.com 214-368.KIDS (5437)

EXPERIENCED OVERNIGHT CAREGIVER FOR INFANTS including multiples. References. Kendell 214-346-9220

LOVING, CHRIST-CENTERED CARE SINCE 1982

Lake Highlands Christian Child Enrichment Center Ages 2 mo.-12 yrs. 9919 McCree. 214-348-1123.