Email Submission: 4/11/11

"Dear Stranger,

I watched a sunset last night for the first time in a very, very long time. For once, I took a second to myself, away from the noise of the TV, the dishwasher, and life in general. Not something I get to do often. Sitting on my front porch just enjoying the coming night. It was a cool evening, but warm for this time of year. And while I watched this beautiful event, I started to think about life. How poetic, right?

But not just the same old boring things. I started thinking about my family and how they're like that sunset. Each family member is unique, just like every sunset is unique. Each person has their own quirks and traits that make them like no other on this planet. Those are the things that you love about them. My dad with his perfectly crooked smile. My mom and her forever giving heart. My grandmother with her worries and her cares. My grandfather and his serene demeanor but loving laugh. My husband and his goofy ways and loving heart. My daughter, with her innocent face, chubby cheeks, and gorgeous smiling eyes. These people are the light of my life, and some time I take for granted that they'll just be there, always. But they won't. And whether it's they fade away, or I do, one day they'll be gone over the horizon, never to be seen again. But their memory will live on in my heart forever, like the memory of a very special sunset.

Then it got me thinking about sunrises too. And that lead me to think about the day my daughter was born. Shortly after she was laid in my arms for the first time, my husband and I watched a beautiful sunrise out of our hospital window. I won't say there was anything remarkable about it. There weren't fireworks and UFOs flying around. But it was a dawn on a new life for us. And it was quite possibly the quietest, most peaceful sunrise I've ever seen. And it was beautiful.

I guess in closing I can say that my point is, take time to watch the sun make it's way through your life. Sometimes you think of and make memories of the most amazing things when you just take a second to take it all in. Maybe these things have been said before. But I can guarantee they've never been felt the way I felt them watching that sunset.

I hope you take some time to watch a sunset sometime soon.

Sincerely,
Your Stranger"