a sky full of color

the post in which happiness is brought to me (and hopefully by extension - you) in the form of sun on water

sunset - grand haven, MI - 2018

to begin...

I live in a state completely surrounded by water and I have got to say, it makes the sunrises and sunsets the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Every year, I am able to make the trek out to one coast or the other and witness the heavens opening up. The colors are vibrant, the world is quiet as if everything is taking in the splendor that is the marriage of sun and water.

sunset - bay harbor, mi - 2017

sunsets....

There is something about sunrises and sunsets that are just *chef's kisses* magical. I have grown up knowing the beauty of a good sunset over the water. My family and I have been traveling up north every summer for the past 20 years. Yes, you heard me correctly - 20 years! Our favorite past time is to get a cozy beverage, snuggle up on a beach blanket and enjoy the breath-taking view.

sunrise - marquette, mi - 2018

sunrises....

While I knew the beauty and grandeur of a sunset, I had never really appreciated a good sunrise. Who would ever want to get up that early? I was recently introduced to the magic, however, by my good friend Laura. We decided to be spontaneous and take a trip to the U.P. (the "Upper Peninsula" for my non-Michigander friends) and hike up to the top of Sugar Loaf mountain. The site was breath-taking with views of the Great Lake Superior for miles.

My friend looked over at me and said "This would be a fabulous spot to see the sunrise!" I agreed wholeheartedly. It would be, for someone who could wake up early and actually drink coffee. I didn't really think she meant us. Ooooh but she did.

"We would only have to wake up by 5 am to get back here in time to hike it and watch the sunrise," she continued nonchalantly. I realized then that this was not a whim she had suddenly thought up but something she had planned ahead of time and very much wanted to do. I, being a good and adventurous friend, tamped down my despair at such an early AM and agreed.

So the next day, we woke up BRIGHT and EARLY, drove to the trailhead and began the hike in the dark. We may have freaked ourselves out a little during that bit, but Laura fought off the creepiness by playing music on her phone, always thinking ahead! We huffed and puffed ourselves up the mountain. When we reached the viewing platform, I collapsed gratefully exclaiming "Laura, you are lucky I love you!" She laughed tiredly beside me and that's when we saw it.

The sun breaking through the clouds and mist, shimmering across the water, bathing the world in a pastel glow. True, sunrises don't have the same igniting, intense colors of a sunset or the magnetic blue sky of high noon on a clear day but oh, a sunrise.

We sat there in silence for a few moments in awe. As the sun streamed over me, I realized that I had honestly never seen or appreciated anything quite like it - not without the obligatory insta picture and perfect caption running through my mind. Those came later of course; I am a self-respecting millennial after all, but it was something different and I carried that energy with me through the rest of the day. Even made me think, you know - 5 AM ain't so bad.

“every day is a new day without any mistakes in it yet" - lucy maud montgomery

There is something about watching the day begin and end in a glory of color that reminds me that each day is fresh, with no mistakes in it...yet (thank you, Anne Shirley). If only we have the gumption to see it and the patience to watch for it, we have the opportunity to see the hope in the world around us and carry it with us wherever we go.