A Slice of the Sunset

(August 9)

I love sunsets. My mom has passed this trait down to me. While growing up, our eyes were always fixed on the sky whenever the sun was falling down on the horizon. It didn't matter if we were in our backyard or on the beach, mom would grab our attention, her voice raised to a pitch of great excitement, "Look! Look! Girls look at the BEAUTIFUL sunset!" We would gaze upward and smile. My mom actually had a fetish with the sun in general. She was always singing songs about it to us. "You are my Sunshine" and "Sunshine on my Shoulders" were two of her favorites. (But I never understood how sunshine almost always made John Denver high. Did he have a ladder too?) Like her, I cherish an amazing sunset and as an adult, I've grown to appreciate the beauty of one. There is something so divine when the sky turns all shades of pink, orange and yellow. It makes me melt inside.

Tonight I had to take the kids on a night-night car ride. Ayla, my baby, was refusing to go to sleep. Most every night, my husband gives the children their baths and puts them to bed so I am definitely not up-to-par on the whole bedtime thing. I have come to appreciate this more than you know, now that he has been away. (Almost one week down, three to go!) As I was loading them up in the van, I couldn't help but notice the glorious sunset trying to peak out past the rooftops. A heavy rain had just blown through and the reflection of the sun on the clouds was amazing. I backed out of the driveway and decided to head west so i could take more of it in, but every way I went, trees or houses were blocking my view. (No, I didn't crash!) Turn after turn, only small slices of the sky, could I see. I wanted so desperately to see more of the picture and praise the artist. I didn't want to miss out, but I had to drive my baby to sleep!!

In this busy life of mine, sometimes all I can catch are small glimpses of the big picture. God reveals glorious pieces of it to me every day. The question is, do I take time to look for more, or are the things of this world, my responsibilities and my obligations blocking my view?

Psalm 50:1&2 The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

(...and yes, my kids went to sleep and praise God, they slept all night!)