Sunday, June 13, 2010

Signs from Above


Saturday was spent finishing a photo shoot by lunchtime, and then running around in the heat and humidity planting plants, weeding flower beds, trimming spent roses and just getting caught up on everything that falls by the wayside during the week.

So as sunset approached, and it was just Mr. Tide and me at home, I got out of my work clothes and put on my PJs to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening before heading to bed to start life all over again today.



I stuck my head out of the front door to catch Mr. Tide doing the last of the watering when he said, "You might want to get your camera ready babe, I think it's going to be a pretty sunset."  We had two big thunderstorms pass just north and south of us and he predicted that a colorful sunset would result from our lack of much needed rain.

When I looked out across the field the picture above is what I saw...pretty, but certainly nothing spectacular.  We really get our most beautiful sunsets in the winter when the sun slowly goes down over the river and not over the treeline across the field from us.  But I know Mr. Tide is rarely wrong, so PJs and all, I set up the tripod and the camera in our driveway!  Thank goodness for hardly any neighbors!



Patience is not my strong suit, but as I waited barefooted and hoping no one would drive down the road, the sky began to slowly change.  It wasn't your typical sunset, where the color primarily emanates around the sun itself and then oozes out to the surrounding clouds.


With this sunset, it was if the whole sky was changing all at once, being illuminated in a way I've not seen for a very long time.  With each passing moment, the colors grew more and more intense until nearly everything in view was awash in beautiful shades of pink, blue, lavender and white!  



And it was a far cry from what the sky had looked like just a half an hour earlier when we were under a severe thunderstorm warning and the sky was ominous and dark!



I just stood there snapping away, completely in awe of how the sky looked and then a thought came to me that was almost overwhelming.  I looked up towards my right, and see that almost fuzzy glow there in the upper right hand corner of the photo above? 

I sometimes get feelings about things, and at that moment I realized that tonight was Relay For Life at one of our local high schools.  Our son was actually there working the event as a member of our local rescue squad, but in years past he had been there as part of a team, supporting a boy he had gone through school with.



A boy named Jordan, whose life was cut inexplicably short by that horrible disease we call Cancer.  And I realized that although the area right around the sun itself, (which you can see in the picture above), was dramatic and beautiful...



But it was to my right, away from the sun, that was the most spectacular.  And it is that part of the sky that sits directly above the high school far off in the distance, where Relay For Life was taking place!  Where Jordan's friends and family would be gathered wearing their Team JP shirts.  And I think, no I know, that Jordan was saying to all of them, thank you everyone, I'm here and I'm fine...life is good and keep going for it!  



And then, just as quickly as it came, (and after snapping nearly 100 pictures), the sunset gave way to nightfall, but the message it conveyed still hung in the air.  Signs are all around us, we just need to stop, look, and listen!

25 comments:

  1. OH Kat~ this post gave me goosebumps! Beautiful photos and a wonderful message...thanks so much for sharing your experience!

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  2. What a gorgeous sunset! Thanks for sharing! :)

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  3. These are just gorgeous. I too like taking photos of sunsets and the sky at dawn. That is when you really have to believe that someone bigger than us created this universe. Happy Sunday.

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  4. Kat, what a touching post and that sunset is extraordinary for sure. Thank you so much for running out there in your pajamas and sharing these wonderful photos with us.

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  5. Everyone should wear PJ's when photo snapping. I think it should be a requirement at sunset.

    DI

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  6. Splendid sunset and message. Thanks bunches for sharing this post with us.

    ♣olive♣

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  7. Very nice photos and message Kat, thanks

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  8. Loved this post and the pictures were sooo incredible!
    Jordan's death really affected us through Finlay at Ryken too. What a terrible loss but I do love that his life has touched so many...

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  9. What a sad yet beautiful and poignant story. I was thinking the most vivid part of the sky looked like fire. Really makes you wonder, these thoughts that traipse in when we're not looking, doesn't it?
    Brenda

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  10. You captured some amazing images last night. I love a summer storm only last night we had a storm that caused the power to go off for a few hours. I woke this morning to find the hydrangeas and crepe myrtles flat...as pancakes. Boo hoo.

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  11. Exquisite photos! Wonderful message. Peace.

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  12. Magnificent! God's beautiful world! (I also enjoyed touring your house pics!). Linda

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  13. What a lovely sunset and what a touching story.

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  14. A sweet hello from Frog Hollow Farm. What wonderful sunset photos - just beautiful. You must have felt so very lucky seeing something so spectacular - and I think it was lovely that your thoughts went to your son's friend - there are so many meaningful messages in the beauty that we see from moment to moment in our lives. Ciao, bella!

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  15. Just beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

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  16. Oh yes Kat, I do believe that signs are always all around us and this is such a wonderful reminder for us to always pay attention. Your images of this amazing event are absolutely breathtaking. What a wonderful sign from beyond. ~Lili

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  17. Unbelievable! Quite possibly the most incredible sunset I've ever seen. You really captured it. Should be in a magazine or calender!

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  18. The colours of the sunset are amazing
    Alison

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  19. Okay, so you made me tear up.
    Thank you for the pictures...they are beautiful...just as beautiful as the story that goes with them.

    Have a blessed day.

    Suzy

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  20. Kat, these pictures are fabulus..great capture!

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  21. WOW, Kat, those shots look like the kind of paintings that you see in museums, usually with religious subjects in the foreground! Your photography skills are amazing. Sounds like a dreamy end to a wonderful weekend. xx Suzanne

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  22. Beautiful photos and story. Always sad when a life gets cute short for any reason.

    Allison
    Atticmag

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