For years, I’ve avoided saying “Good morning”. I’ve stuck with the simple, “Morning” because it’s a statement that is true and observable. The more evaluative “Good morning” won’t be verifiable until at least noon, and then we won’t know for sure for some time.

I know. That’s more thinking than you may want to be doing, particularly if you are one of the people who reads these words first thing in the morning. But some of us are unwilling to inflict noisy greetings on people who may not be feeling it at that moment.

That said, there is a place for an implied blessing for the people we meet. If we think, “It is my prayer for you that God will give you an awareness of his presence and care for you as you walk through whatever delights or obstacles or resistance you encounter in the next few hours” as we say “Good morning”, there is an honesty and compassion in the greeting. (And part of the compassion is that we abbreviate the whole thought to two words!)

It’s Thursday. It’s already been a long week. You don’t need more words. You may need more coffee. And this blessing: “Good morning.”

Peace.