Sunrise, Sunset ......

Who doesn't love the beauty of watching the sun come up, painting the sky with pinks, purples, yellows, oranges?  Then too quickly the beauty gives way to just the brightness of the sun in the sky, and another day in our busy lives.

Don't we also love to see the sun begin to sink into the horizon, lighting it up in much the same way.  And just as we watch in awe the patterns of the colors and the lights, the sun dips below the horizon giving away to the black of night.  And the magic -- as well as our hectic day -- is gone.

I was reminded yesterday of the parallels of this beauty and loss with the pattern of our human lives.Within just a few short hours I found myself at both ends of the Sunrise, Sunset spectrum. 

I was laughing and smiling as I listened to the DJs on our local radio station talk about the birth of a grandbaby.  A home birth.  Mom surrounded by family and the bouncing baby boy coming into the world with a powerful set of lungs.  It made me think of the birth of my own children and how they have grown, and the joy and pain associated with raising them.  I thought about this mom and the joy and challenges that will lie ahead of her.  Sunrise.

Within hours I was receiving a phone call from a friend and co-worker who was out of town and had received a call that her mother had unexpectantly passed away earlier that morning.  My friend was experiencing such pain and loss and I found myself crying along with her as I was telling her how sorry I was, at the same time reflecting on my own life and how we really don't have any guarantees of tomorrow. Sunset.

As much as we enjoy the beauty of the sunrise and the longing for the sun to never set, everything that really matters happens BETWEEN these two events.  Do we make the most of every day?  Living life? Loving people? Laughing together? Serving God?

Sunrise -- Sunset