I’ve always been a fan of sunsets and sunrises. They are like daily miracles I feel honored to witness. A few weeks ago I shared a sunset we saw on the way to dinner and had to just stop and take a picture of it. Until I got my new (really old, hand me down, but happy to have) phone which has a crappy camera that I love because it’s with me all the time.
By now my husband knows when I am distracted and in awe of a sunset (or sunrise, which I don’t see as often because I’m a night owl) that we have to stop and just appreciate it. I love that he lets me do this and doesn’t tap his foot or get impatient because I’m all enamored with the colors and clouds. Now he helps me take a picture and talks about this miracle with me. It’s gotten to be the joke, that I collect sunsets, something that is more valuable than objects and yet slips through our fingers before we can pretend that it’s ours.
Here’s some I’ve taken lately. This one was taken a few weeks ago while we walked the dog. We just had to stop and enjoy it.
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.
Psalm 65:8
I’m still not a morning person, but I’ve come to appreciate the morning time. I dropped my hubs off for work one morning and stopped before turning around to come home in order to take this shot:
The very next morning, we were blessed again with another beauty:
This daily miracle has inspired poetry as well. In my last book, [easyazon_link identifier=”B0179VQRDQ” locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”wwwthediffere-20″]Angel Toughness[/easyazon_link], I wrote:
Where Evening Fades (Tangerine Clouds)
The sun bows low
our silent appreciation
encouraging
an encore
lower and lower
until just a thin sliver remained
casting tangerine light
on the clouds that
moved slowly before us.
We stood silent,
mouths agape
at the sheer beauty
and felt Him here, painting
as we remembered
how often we had
begged Him to show us
a miracle
challenging Him to prove
that He is here
and watching
over us.
As the tangerine clouds
faded to grey
I imagined Him there
nudging me,
saying, how’d you like that one?
as He accepted my appreciation
for the sunset
that painted the sky
with another masterpiece,
one that will fade away
within seconds,
our memory
and that moment of appreciation
the only witness we have
to this
daily miracle.
[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”160″ identifier=”B0179VQRDQ” locale=”US” nw=”y” src=”https://cherieburbach.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/51UAhd4NmUL.SL160.jpg” tag=”wwwthediffere-20″ width=”107″]
© Cherie Burbach, “Where Evening Fades (Tangerine Clouds),” Angel Toughness, 2015
