Chasing sunsets



From Wikipedia

 I love a good sunset! I have viewed sunsets in the mountains of North Carolina and on the beaches in Florida and many places in between, and have never seen one that didn't leave me in awe of my God who created it.

Tonight, the clouds looked like they would produce a beautiful sunset, so about 8 o'clock I started walking across the street so I could get on the other side of the school, kind of up on a hill, to attempt to watch the colors and take in a good sunset. When I got on the other side of the school, I couldn't find the vantage point that I wanted, and it almost seemed like I'd missed it, so I walked back home. As I sat on my front steps, watching the colors in the sky over the school building, I realized that sunsets sometimes have to be chased to be viewed. Sure, sometimes, you find yourself in the right place at the right time and you look up and there it is, the perfect sunset. But I think some of the best sunsets have to be sought after.

I can remember times when I was growing up and we'd be visiting our long-time family friends, Bob and Fredna Vaught, in the rural Virginia mountains. One of the highlights would always be to take a ride in the back of a wagon pulled by Uncle Henry (Bob's uncle, but they were all like family to us) up to The Kingdom to watch the sunset. We had to time it just right so that we wouldn't miss it. Other evenings at "the cabin," as we called it, we'd take a hike up the mountain and watch the sunset from a different high point. Those sunsets were so worth the effort! And if we walked too slowly or started out too late, we would miss it and have to try again another day.

I also have memories of chasing sunsets while I was living in Hawaii in the fall after I graduated from college. I lived only a mile or so from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, but when I looked out the front door of my apartment, I'd only see another apartment building. If I wanted to see the beautiful Hawaiian sunset, I had to go chase it. It wasn't the happiest time of my life for me while I was there, but I know that getting to see lots of gorgeous sunsets was definitely one of the things that gave me joy during those three months.

Someday it would be nice to have a "sunset porch" where I could always know that I could see the sunset without anything hindering my view or having to go chase it and possibly miss seeing it that night. But part of the intrigue about sunsets for me is the thrill of the chasing and being able to catch it before it goes away. Yes, sometimes I miss them, but many times I catch one and it makes the chase so sweet!