Sunsets
Read:
UMH #685 (link warning - the hymn starts playing automatically)
Those
who know me realize I like sunsets. Thankfully in the years of my
fruitful marriage all my attempts to find a spot on the east coast of
Michigan were resisted. Finally a decade or so ago we worked
together, the queen and I, to purchase land where sunsets over lake
Michigan are possible.
A
sunset is more than a passing moment captured in a photo. Were that
the case one could put a tripod on remote timer and make a collage of
the daily changes. A sunset is a time for quiet recollection as the
sun passes over the horizon. We are told it takes seven minutes from
bottom to top. The vision that comes before and after is far more
important. It leads to a time of quiet reflection on life, purpose
and that which is important to all of us.
Some
days the sun sets as a glowing orange orb under a clear sky. Other
days the glow can be seen fleetingly as clouds scuttle by. Some days
we know it is there, and are reassured, but cannot see it as the
entire horizon is unknown, distant and obscured.
What
does this do? As one contemplates what we are and where we are it
reminds us of the immanence and permanence of that which we cannot
see. We are reminded that we are all part of a reality and that
though the sun may set it will rise again. And so as we approach
Easter we are reminded of the essence of spirituality.
This
feeling stays with me and settles my oft unsettled mind as a slowly
crawl back from the edge of the water towards home. A sense of this
permanence needs to be continually reaffirmed. All of us should take
the time to sit quietly alone without bothers or cares and reflect as
we contemplate the sunset.
Richard
Scott
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