Out of my plastic cup, I sip steaming coffee and I wipe the sleepiness from my eyes. The sky is dark except for one bright planet that is still visible, pinned in the sky over the ocean.

I am sitting in my minivan listening to the waves gently roll into the sand.  A rhythmic pattern that moves up the north shore then continues on repeat. I am the only vehicle in the north beach parking lot.

On my drive here I saw three school buses picking up uniformed kids ready for their commute to school, a full two hours before school begins.

Most mornings I am awake at this time, but I usually choose to read or write propped up in my bed.

A jogger navigates around me dodging flooded puddles left from torrential downpours over the past weekend. Making his way to the beach for his morning rigor.

Every couple of months I have to be at work before the sun comes up. This is one of those mornings. This week I have two on my schedule.

The night before a sunrise wedding I am always paranoid. I set three alarms on my phone so I won’t oversleep. Although, I always wake at least an hour before my alarm, since my body can’t rest when I know I have to be somewhere early in the morning. I choose to not fight it, but I get up, make my coffee and head to the beach.

A waning gibbous moon is hanging over the Tybee Lighthouse behind me.

The sky is starting to lighten, I see the edges of clouds that have formed. A dark blue gradient with highlights of pink covers the sky from above the silhouetted palm trees to the edge of the ocean.

Mornings on the beach are a magical time and I ask myself why I  not out here for more of them.

The temperature is perfect. A cool, but still humid breeze kisses my cheeks and blows through my still damp hair.

I have fifteen minutes till the couple will be meeting me here to marry each other. They will be sealing their words of forever commitment with a kiss just as the sun pushes through the horizon.

A truck and a car just pulled up, time for me to go to work….