A single dad shares his daily prayer, lifting up his heart to God in the morning as the dawn breaks and another day beckons. Faith sustains him through his struggles and magnifies his joys.

I thank God every morning for the blessing of another day. I do not take them for granted, I would not dare. What a wonderful gift that He gives us.

I start work early in the mornings, 4 a.m., just before the light and enough time to see the magnificence of His work.

As I go about the work I do, cleaning a school, I am in and out of rooms and able to gaze out from the upstairs balconies into the night sky and over the ocean.

I am blessed that the school I work at is close to the water and enables a beautiful view over Mutton Bird Island and beyond. And of course, that majestic sky.

How anyone could deny the existence of God while gazing at the night sky mystifies me. I find it just so amazing. Clean, untouched, glorious, stunning, words really cannot describe it.

I find myself on the telephone line to God, thanking Him for allowing me to see another day, another night sky, another daybreak. Thank You, thank You, thank You, as I look up to that great southern cross, how beautiful, and how grateful I am that You are allowing me to see it once again.

As I go about my work, God is still on the line, and I am still talking to Him as the night sky starts to fade and the world around me becomes lighter.

I often see crows perched on the guttering and I am sure they are listening in to my conversation with God.

I ask God to please help me today to be a better man, a better father, a better husband, a better friend, a better workmate, a better person, because I am not and because I want to be. I am sure those crows understand me, just the way they look at me. They understand, I am sure.

As I am getting older, it is important to me that I go through this ritual every morning, and I regret the times in earlier life that I did not. You see, I have lived a varied kind of life; I cannot say it was a good one — parts of it were and parts were not. I am sorry for those that were not, and I tell Him that. Sometimes, often, in tears.

Before the call ends, there is one more thing, Daybreak. I look out over the ocean and see the wonderful rise of the sun over the ocean and its rays lighting up Mutton Bird Island.

I thank Him once again for giving me the gift of another day and allowing me to witness His work. I ask Him to look after my little girl and all my children, my friends, my enemies, my dads in distress.

I do not want to live in a world if there is no God. What would be the use? I tell Him, thank You for being there. Thanks for healing the hurt, thanks for another day. And I am set for another day.

Stay with me, I plead as the call ends. Stay with me. And the crows fly away looking back at me…

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