Sunsets

I am thankful for many things, but a Facebook response this week reminded me how lucky I am to see spectacular sunsets and evening skies.

I'm not sure when my fascination with the sky began. As a child, I was turned off by my mother's constant comments about the sky, the trees, nature in general. I was a kid. My mother was 'square'. When we lived in Florida and my mother visited, she often commented on the cloud formations. Her eyesight was not good, but she could pick out those towering cumulous thunderheads. My oldest daughter was also fascinted with night skies. She would take us outside to look at the moon through binoculars, or to follow meteor showers and shooting stars. Somewhere in my adulthood, weather and the sky became very important to me.

The first apartment my husband and I lived in had a great western view, and consequently, great sunsets. We have lived in many places, but not many have given us that same view. One house in Florida faced west and I probably began my true appreciation of the afternoon light in that house. We had spectacular sunsets with an unobstructed view there.

In this house we are also blessed with fantastic sunsets, and evening skies. One of my favorite winter views is the one where the sky is crystal clear. As the sun sets, the upper sky is a deep dark blue, fading to a clear light blue on the horizon. The trees are outlined and an evening star appears. There is a thin line of orange just on top of the horizon. It is an exquisite sky.

Earlier this week I wrote about a 'dreary day'. At the end of that day the weather began to clear.

The rain ended and the clouds began to lift. As the sun dipped low on the horizon it burned through the clouds. It looked like the sky was on fire!

It reminded me that at the end of every difficult time can come a time when life is spectacular. We may even feel like we are on fire. I am thankful for Sunsets (and sunrises if I was up early enough to enjoy them).  Heaven may not appear as a direct floodlight, but may come in at an angle lighting our path when we least expect it.

I am thankful  for two things. One, I am thankful that I can once again have that evening view. And two, I am thankful for sunsets. First of all, because they may not always be visible, but they are always there. Secondly, because they may come when we least expect them. But most of all, thirdly, because THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!!! God blesses the end of every day with a beautiful sunset. I am thankful for that.