Good morning…
“You should write a blog post entitled Cloudy With A Chance Of Sunset,” our twenty-one year old son said on the top of the mountain in Steamboat Spring, Colorado. He had worked out west all summer with five friends from The University of Georgia. My husband and I visited, seeing his place of employment, enjoying with him the hikes and the views, the rodeo and the restaurants, the fly fishing and the new friends which made his summer spectacular.
We planned to ride the ski gondola up for a sunset happy hour the one night it was being held while we were in town, but it rained all day. By evening, thick clouds had set in, so actually seeing the sunset was quite iffy. Just before they shut down the gondola due to bad weather, the three of us climbed in and took a ride through the rainy clouds, eerie clouds which were as thick as homemade pea soup.
Along with a lot of local families, people of all ages, and a live, lively band, we enjoyed discounted drinks and food, watching the weather change minute by minute. We rose high above to watch the sun play hide and seek with the clouds as it quietly set. Beautifully colorful one moment. Completely out of sight the next.
This experience of impermanence, this constantly changing view, visually reminds me that so many rainstorms in life roll in and settle for a while, blocking the setting sun from our limited sight. We can’t make the clouds lift. We can’t force the overwhelming emotions to pass. We can’t see the source of light, though we somehow sense, “God has to be out there.”
Light is sweet; one glimpse of the sun delights the eyes. If a person lives many years, then he should learn to enjoy each and every one; but he should not forget the dark days ahead, for there will be plenty of them. All that is to come—whether bright days or dark—is fleeting (Ecclesiastes 11:7-8, VOICE).
Today’s mixture of sun and clouds will never come again in this elusive form. Each moment is fleeting, the brightest bright and the darkest dark. Might we learn to glimpse joy in whatever experience surrounds us right now?
Wisdom from my spiritual mentor Betty Skinner rolls in to envelop us: “Gratitude grows as we practice the daily art of accepting what is.”
…Sue…
P.S. Jeremiah is home from Colorado now and is here for another ten days before heading back to Athens to start his junior year at UGA. If you have any pressure washing needs with which he can help you, please reach out to Jeremiah at 404-747-4971 for a free estimate.
