One of my dearest friends, Lynn, passed away five years ago today. I clearly remember the night her husband called to tell me she’d died. I sat on the couch crying my heart out, in shock and denial – and suddenly, for no apparent reason, looked up and out the window and saw the most magnificent sunset ever. I was compelled to grab a camera and run down the street chasing the setting sun – needing to be a witness to its beauty. I decided that it was a gift from God, telling me that everything would be OK – and that somehow we all lived on.

I sat down on my couch this evening – thinking about Lynn – wondering how she was… I’d said a prayer earlier today – not specifically about her, but about all the loss and change, dissappointment and hurt we experience in life – and asked God to make sure my heart never grew bitter – or closed for fear of more pain. I wondered if he heard me – - and once again I looked up, out my window and saw a magnificent sunset. I wanted to stand and applaud and yell “bravo! bravo!”

I live on the 3rd floor of an old mill building – so I strapped my camera around my neck, opened the window and leaned out as far as I could to try to be witness, again, to the beauty of the setting sun.

This is as is from the camera – a little blurry as I had a 70-300mm lens on my camera and was shooting with one hand while holding onto the window sill with the other…. I am posting it as a reminder that prayers do get answered, there is always light even through the pain, and somehow we really are all connected.

Nikon d90
Nikkor 70-300 mm