Day is gone, night has fallen

As days go, I remember having better ones and as night has fallen I am glad to finally be home.  Yet come to think of it, I have had much worse ones than this so in the least of things, I do so give thanks.  It's hard to imagine how quickly the day went and as I sat here in this very same chair and typed a blog post from earlier this morning, it's difficult to imagine that was over 12 hours ago now.  I had no intention of typing another post this evening but as some times things go in my life, those plans were changed. 

It was on my way home tonight that I noticed the sunset and how beautiful it was and always seems to be for that matter here along the Western Slopes.  Luckily I was carrying my camera in my school bag, so I turned off on a different road to try to get a different glimpse of the setting sun over the Uncompahgre Range just about an hour ago.  It looked like this~

I'm not sure when I developed this fascination with photographing the sunrises and sunsets of the world I live in but I do know that I've probably taken dozens of photos of them since I've lived here in Colorado.  Even in the dead of winter, sunrises are still pretty spectacular to behold and I am amazed at the myriad of colors that are show within them.  From purples, pinks, reds, and golden yellows it is as if the Master saved the very best shades for the day's end.  I'm glad to be able to see them, no matter if it is here in the Rocky Mountains or back home on the plains of Kansas.  It is a treat for the senses to behold.

I have found myself chasing the sunset as I've grown older which is kind of strange for me to imagine.  Countless days have come and gone in my life and the sun has continually sank into the horizon but I surely didn't get excited enough about it to have taken a photo.  Yet as I have gotten older, life and the way I looked at it, has changed and I've found myself making sure that every minute between sunrise and sunset counted for something good.  Seeing the beauty in the way the sky looked as that golden orb we all are thankful for was disappearing was a gentle reminder to me that the days in our life come and go as quickly as the blink of an eye.  I've had over 21,000 of those days already and all you have to do is the math to help you to realize that the days remaining in our lives as we grow older slim down quite a bit.  I try to remember each day to enjoy living life and to not take for granted the blessings that have been mine all along.  Ok, that'd be the end of my sermon now.  AMEN

I hope this day has been kind to you, wherever you might be in this big world of ours.  May you have a restful and peaceful sleep to awaken fresh in the morning to start the journey all over again.  I've been thinking of you all and hold you close to my heart.  Life is good~

This little doll is over 50 years old and is soon to be taking a journey to Whidbey Island along with the 100-year old rocker that she has always sat in.  It's time to give these belongings of my childhood days to my oldest son for his new little one to be born in the weeks to come.  For me it's time to begin the switch to travelling "light" and it actually feels really good to do so.  When that baby gets older, "Grandma Peggy" can tell the story of how I found that little doll in the bottom of a box of Cheer detergent one summer afternoon when I was staying at my grandmother's house.