I have to admit, I’m not a morning person. I hate waking up at wee hours. My mind is usually active and creative in the late afternoon or at night. Many times, when duty calls and would require me to wake up at 5am, my mindset would be, “Ahh, long travels! I’ll get some sleep in the bus.”
And then there’s this one time, I came into having a wonderful thought to ponder. Whenever I wake up, some things are already set for the long day. The streets are already swept. Public vehicles are all ready for the road. Fast food chains are serving our favorite breakfast meals.
And so I learned to appreciate the people behind the acts. They are precious gems and I’d prefer to call them heroes. They probably wake up before their alarm rings and they set their own kind of success by having the motivation of serving other people. While most of us are still snoring and enjoying our sleep, they are the ones who wake up early. They need to work hard for their families and also for us, as they make our day generally convenient and smooth sailing.
THE STREET SWEEPER
At 10PM, our streets are usually filled with litter and junk but, when we go out early in the morning, hooray! It’s clean again. So, who does the magic? It’s the street sweepers who get up at 3 AM, go out in their sweatshirts, towels and cleanup armor before the sun rises.
THE VENDOR
Who needs candy in the morning? Or maybe a bottle of water? The hero is ready. We have the vendors whose voices become our morning alarms and whose baskets become our bag of treats. Need a biscuit because you skipped breakfast? The vendor will save your day.
THE JEEPNEY DRIVER
He wakes up at 3:30 AM and the passengers who travel early for work are on their mind. They sometimes skip breakfast, take coffee instead, and find time to clean up their vehicles for your day to be hassle-free and bright.
Let me also put the spotlight to the early risers at home, my parents, who would always get up early to prepare our breakfast and needs for the long day. For some, the helpers at home do these kind of stuff, but, for my part, I am grateful that our breakfast are usually served with love and for love.
To the ones who wake up before us, hear our biggest THANK YOU. You have shown us that deeds of sacrifice are expressions of love. Thank you for preparing the road for us, for making sure that workaholics are not delayed for their busy day, for choosing to be of service in order for us to experience a different kind of love.
Time is precious, yet, the early risers put someone else’s needs before their own. I can see this as bravery. Where there is bravery, there is sacrifice. Where there is sacrifice, there is love. So, the next time you see or encounter an early riser, surprise them with your smile. Or maybe, take another second to look and appreciate them. They resemble the face of Jesus. Jesus shows himself in many ways and sometimes, it is through the street sweeper, the jeepney driver or the vendor.
I am thankful Jesus meets me in acts of sweet sacrifices every day.
