The Setting Sun
I was in San Diego in November 2017 preparing as best man for my best friend's wedding later that month. I rented a little beach condo less than a block away from the North end of Pacific Beach. I invited some friends, rented a surfboard, and was ready to call it home for a while.
Something about being on the water has always fascinated me. Looking out beyond the horizon has and always will inspire an ultimate sense of awe and wonder. From my eyes alone, I cannot technically see what's beyond the horizon, which is part of what makes it so amazing. Something is there, yet I cannot see it. Beyond the horizon there is wind, light, life, and mystery. Anything your mind places there is possible.
Despite my limitations to see past the horizon, there is one thing that has full permission and ability to go past the horizon every day. That "thing" is the sun. Not only does the sun go into the unknown, it brings light to the unknown, therefore making it known. From my point of view, it is the sunset. But for the person on the other side, it is the sunrise. Respectively, that's completion and beginning all at once, but still brings with it a magnificent transition of colors and sensations, representing a beautiful completion that will lead to a beautiful beginning.
If you know me well, you know that I love sunsets. I will go out of my way any chance I get to witness the beauty of one. I've always imagined that family sunset time will be as, or more important, than family dinner time someday. I never sought to understand why I love the sunset outside of its beauty, until now. It is a powerful symbol and amazing physical aspect of our universe. It's the diverse colors of the sky, the sudden temperature change, how the wind slows, how it brings people together, and the sense of completion and reflection of the gift of another day.
In these strange days of COVID-19, I am reminded that the sun still rises and sets every day. Even if this virus wipes out everything we know, the sun would still be there doing its job. The darkness would be filled by light, and the shadows would have no place to hide. It reminds me of our one and only hope. When it seems there is no way out, or when we have messed things up in relationships, at work, in our lives, or wherever, there is a sun (son) that brings newness and repair constantly to those who are willing to trust what's on the other side of the horizon is good and worthy of our pursuits.
Something about being on the water has always fascinated me. Looking out beyond the horizon has and always will inspire an ultimate sense of awe and wonder. From my eyes alone, I cannot technically see what's beyond the horizon, which is part of what makes it so amazing. Something is there, yet I cannot see it. Beyond the horizon there is wind, light, life, and mystery. Anything your mind places there is possible.
Despite my limitations to see past the horizon, there is one thing that has full permission and ability to go past the horizon every day. That "thing" is the sun. Not only does the sun go into the unknown, it brings light to the unknown, therefore making it known. From my point of view, it is the sunset. But for the person on the other side, it is the sunrise. Respectively, that's completion and beginning all at once, but still brings with it a magnificent transition of colors and sensations, representing a beautiful completion that will lead to a beautiful beginning.
If you know me well, you know that I love sunsets. I will go out of my way any chance I get to witness the beauty of one. I've always imagined that family sunset time will be as, or more important, than family dinner time someday. I never sought to understand why I love the sunset outside of its beauty, until now. It is a powerful symbol and amazing physical aspect of our universe. It's the diverse colors of the sky, the sudden temperature change, how the wind slows, how it brings people together, and the sense of completion and reflection of the gift of another day.
In these strange days of COVID-19, I am reminded that the sun still rises and sets every day. Even if this virus wipes out everything we know, the sun would still be there doing its job. The darkness would be filled by light, and the shadows would have no place to hide. It reminds me of our one and only hope. When it seems there is no way out, or when we have messed things up in relationships, at work, in our lives, or wherever, there is a sun (son) that brings newness and repair constantly to those who are willing to trust what's on the other side of the horizon is good and worthy of our pursuits.
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