Sunset Alert!

 

                                                                             Ruth photo

Praise the Lord!

Praise, O servants of the Lord;
    praise the name of the Lord.

 Blessed be the name of the Lord
    from this time on and forevermore.
 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

                                                             Psalm 113: 1-3 NRSVue

As the sun begins to set, its light must traverse a thicker layer of the atmosphere, particularly near the horizon. This elongated path through the atmosphere results in more scattering of the shorter blue and violet wavelengths, leading to their dispersal across the sky. The longer wavelengths, particularly red, orange, and yellow, are less affected by scattering and continue on their trajectory, creating the warm, golden glow that characterizes the sunset.

source: Weather Geeks 

A couple of evenings ago Ruth let out a gasp and pointed out the window. I leapt to my feet -- well, kinda -- and saw a glorious sunset I was missing because of my position in our family room. We went onto the deck where Ruth took the photo at the top of the page. She messaged it to our three adult children who began responding with their pictures. All of the households had noticed the sunset as well and the photographers are aged 10 to 72. Everyone was in awe and we all made the appropriate "Zowie!" responses to the other images. We shared our delight from hundreds of kilometres apart, everywhere from a rural setting to downtown Toronto.

                                                                             Emma photo

What is about humans that we are astonished and moved by a sunset and want to share the experience with others? The scientific explanation is great but our souls are stirred by what we experience at sunrise and sunset, as different cloud formations pass overhead, as lightning flashes. The Northern Lights or an eclipse have a similar effect. I'm sure that many scientists who study these phenomena are enchanted as well

                                                                                  Jocelyn photo

I figure that we are hard-wired for beauty and attending to what we see and hear and feel around us is essential to our being. These are spiritual experiences, whatever "spiritual" means to us. The great Jewish rabbi and writer of the last century, Abraham Joshua Heschel, when asked by an interviewer what he believed his greatest gift to be, replied: “My ability to be surprised.”

Our surprise and astonishment can be elements of praising both Creator and Creation. There are times when life seems unfair and desperate and mean, then we have a revelatory moment and are compelled to express gratitude. 

Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by?
You never get to stop and open your eyes
One day you're waiting for the sky to fall
The next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time

                                 Bruce Cockburn 

                                                                                     Emily photo

 I continue to turn to the poems of the late Mary Oliver and this one is brief, yet perfect. 

Instructions for living a life.

Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.