Keep Eyes Open for Moments of Awe and Wonder

This is one of the times of year where we have the opportunity to see some of the most amazing color displays in our skies as the sun comes up and when the sun goes down each day.  Tammy and I are fortunate to live in a place where we have mostly unobstructed views if we wish to observe sunrise or sunset.  So, it should not be a surprise that a common exclamation to be heard at the Genuine Faux Farm is "Oooooh!  Look at that sunset!"  And, yes, you can substitute sunrise in that statement if it is morning.

Both of us agree that if we could capture some of these colors, we would love to paint them on the interior walls of the house.  But, we don't (and likely won't) do that because there really is no way to catch the complexity of it all.  Any approximation supplied by paints would be a pale shadow that would not inspire - unless it were to inspire us to pick a new color to cover our failed attempt back up.

On this particular morning, the sunrise was one that started inauspiciously.  It didn't look like it was going to be one of the more outstanding shows.  Suddenly, the interest level went up as things changed over a period of five minutes.  It was enough to get me outside with the camera sans coat, glove and (believe it or not) hat.

I was able to grab a few pictures, but I wasn't quite willing to go traipsing about to find the perfect bit of landscape to frame it.  It turns out that was a good choice, because the colors rapidly faded.  Sometimes the sunrise seems to go on and on, with a light show that lasts long enough that you realize you really should have done your farm chores quite some time ago.  Then, there are mornings like this one.  A quick moment of brilliance, and then we go about our day.

Don't get me wrong.  The rest of the day has its beautiful things, its awesome and wondrous moments.  But, this moment might have been so glorious that it made many other good things pale in comparison.

Keep your eyes open.  These moments that inspire your awe and your wonder for the world around you don't always announce themselves.  We've got to be ready for them, so we can celebrate when they happen - and then celebrate again when we remember them.