Dear Friend,
I’ve just come in from an evening walk where I stopped to watch the sunset.
For a long time, I didn’t pay any attention to sunsets. I barely noticed the passage between day and night. I was so busy racing from one thing to the next that sunsets seemed like something from a romcom, not something you’d experienced in real life. Who had time for it? I certainly didn’t think I did. Those kinds of moments were for the lucky ones, the special occasions, or the occasional vacationer.
But when life shifted for me, I discovered sunrises, and then shortly after that, sunsets.
Now, one of my day's greatest treasures is a walk after dinner with my husband, hands entwined. The soft whisper of wind tickles our faces as we stroll by the pier. We stop to chat with familiar faces and strike up conversations with visitors. Sometimes we walk in silence, and other times we dream about the future. Often, we share about our days and dig deep into philosophical questions. But one thing we do every single time is stop to look at the sunset. We enjoy watching the colors pass through the sky. It's amazing to see the golden hues beam from one small area and stretch across the expanse of the horizon.
People all around us stop, turn, and look. Cameras come out, fishermen stand still, and together here on the island we watched the transition happen. The sound of the waves lapping against the rocks and a soft muddle of conversation tinge the air, making the moment feel incredibly intimate even though we stand among strangers.
Beyond the movement itself, I've become aware of a sunset's greater significance. Sunsets mark time. More specifically, they mark my time. My days. My nights. The ones I'm given here on this earth, in this place. The moments stack up to become the hours of my life, filled with new experiences, people, and memories.
Where sunsets once sat unnoticed at the edge of my life, they now stand like pillars in my days. Each evening, I know one will be waiting for me. A spectacular miracle created seamlessly. They mark my days like a candle that burns through the daylight, is snuffed out at dusk to usher in a few hours of quiet rest, and is lit again afresh upon the dawn.
Someone asked me recently if I regret all the years I didn't notice the sunsets. Truthfully,no. I couldn't have enjoyed them then.
I noticed them in a season when I needed an anchor, something steady to stand on that wouldn't make me feel stifled. It was as though God removed the blinders at exactly the right time so I could see a natural wonder that so many still take for granted, just as I did. It makes me marvel at the beauty of His timing.
It may seem like the blessing of a sunset is in the viewing. And that is surely a blessing… But for me, the blessing is the awareness I've gained to simply stop and notice. To be fully present and aware of the true beauty that exists all around me, in both large and small moments. That has made all the difference.
When did you first really notice a sunset?
Until next time,
A Friend from Magnolia Isle
