It seems my whole life I have been up before dawn's light. As children, we got up early, did chores, ate breakfast, and walked a mile to school. It was a long and sometimes cold walk. The sound of snow crunching under our feet, stars twinkling overhead on clear mornings, our breath vaporizing in the frozen air; these are memories never forgotten.

We didn't get to sleep in during the summer either. We still had to get up before dawn and care for the livestock plus other farm chores. When it was cherry picking time we ate breakfast and were in the orchards at first light. I never knew the meaning of the term sleep in.

Once in a while, we found ourselves with no picking or harvesting to do. On those days, my girlfriend and I would get up before dawn and walk a half mile to the lake to fish. Go figure, a chance to sleep late and we would rather fish.

What I remember most about those early morning hours was the silence. It was like the world was holding its breath waiting for the first light of dawn. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then from somewhere out in the darkness there came the half asleep chirp of a bird. It was soon joined by others until it became a serenade to the dawn.

Most of those dawns were a miracle to behold. A few were glorious shades of red. 'Red in the morning sailors warning' was my father's favorite saying. Nine times out of ten he was right and it wasn't long before a thunderstorm or just plain rain was upon us. Most dawns simply came in with beautiful oranges and yellows. Even as a child I was in awe of the beautiful sunrises.

It seems I was destined to spend most of my years in the dark before dawn. In my early adult years, I worked first shift in a factory and found myself driving to work in the dark with the stars and moon shining overhead. Well, not always, sometimes I drove in snow storms or rain. Needless to say, it was a long drive in those hours before dawn.

In later years, I married a man who owned a dairy farm. I remember walking out to get the cows before daylight. Often I would hear the hoot-hoo of owls hunting in the dark. Mostly I listened for the sound of the herd bull somewhere in the same pasture with me. I wasn't too concerned because I always had a good cow dog with me. Nevertheless, I didn't care for the idea of that bull sneaking up on me in the dark. If you think that an animal that weighs a ton can't sneak quietly then think again.

Anyhow, I enjoyed that walk in the dark before dawn. The peace and solitude were amazing. Just me and my dog alone under a sky full of stars. Sometimes the moon was so bright I didn't need my flashlight. Of course, other times I had to wear my raincoat and hope the lightning missed me. Still, I loved those early morning hours bringing in my milk cows.

Now my husband and I are retired and could sleep in if we wished to. It doesn't seem to work that way, though. We still find ourselves awake in the darkness before dawn drinking coffee and waiting for the first light of dawn to break the horizon. I guess old habits die hard.

Still, the dark before dawn remains my favorite time of day. Perhaps it's because it has been such a part of my life and remains so today. It is a time of awakening to another day filled with infinite possibilities, a time to let go of the past and plan for the future. The dark before dawn is the best part of my day.