A Summer of Sunsets

Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn.
Ralph Waldo Emerson





I am so very blessed to live where a short drive affords ocean vistas.  There is a reason why they call it the Ocean State!  ;-) 

And along with ocean vistas come great opportunities for magnificent sunsets like these that I captured earlier this summer...










I am also blessed to live in a town that has a beautiful park with the Mt. Hope Bay as it's backdrop - a backdrop that provides spectacular sunsets.   My husband and I try to walk at this park every night in the summer, and we time our walks just right to catch the sunsets.    It never gets old!  My Google photos album is filled with sunset pictures!

Here is a sampling...   :-)  

















As I reflected upon my summer of sunsets, sunsets that I looked forward to seeing every day with great anticipation, I thought about another kind of sunset, those sunsets that occur throughout life's seasons...

The sunset of our youth, of having children still at home, of our jobs, of our health and of our lives.  

I think we all can admit that although some sunsets of life may be looked forward to like retirement, most of life's sunsets are not happily anticipated, but bring with them wistfulness.  

When you watch the sun set, it is amazing how quickly it does just that!  My husband and I always say, it's like we can actually see it moving before our eyes!

Sunsets, like childhood, are viewed with wonder 
not just because they are beautiful 
but because they are fleeting.
Richard Paul Evans

And so it is with the sunsets of life, they too are fleeting...  

And with every new dawn, whether it be the dawning of a new day or the dawning of a new season of life, we have hope in this promise of God...

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

What can we learn from these sunset pictures, where some sunsets are intensely bright, others show through volatile looking clouds, others create cloud luminaries, and still others cast beautiful colors upon the waters and sky evoking feelings of peace, is that every sunset has at it's core light and that light becomes more and more intense the lower in the horizon it sinks, resulting in a magnificent display of colors that reaches farther and farther out from its center.

What if we viewed life's sunsets as opportunities for the Light of Christ to become more and more intense, allowing Christ to be seen through us in a magnificent display of contentment and peace that reaches to all we come in contact with.


From the rising of the sun to its setting 
The name of the LORD is to be praised.
Psalm 113:3


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Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if 
we were looking through the gates of Heaven.
John Lubbock




You might find me on these link-ups:
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Comments

  1. These photos are stunning! I love the beauty and variety of God's creation, that though sunset happens each day no two are the same. I loved your reflections and the quotes you shared too. Glad I was next to you at Tell His Story this week!

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    Replies
    1. Lesley, Thank you. And thank you so much for your very kind comments. You have blessed me.

      So glad you stopped by. :-)

      Delete
  2. Thank you for sharing these absolutely gorgeous views! This landlocked Missouri gal loved them!

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    Replies
    1. Sarah, You are very welcome! Awe. Well I'm glad! :-)

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  3. Your photos are gorgeous! I love the look of a setting sun reflected on the water. Thanks for sharing, I'm visiting you today from #TeaAndWord Linkup.

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    Replies
    1. Debbie, Thank you.

      You are welcome.

      I'm so glad you stopped by. :-)

      Delete
  4. Beautiful photos and the interweaving of the sunsets with change and growth in Christ! Well done:)
    Visiting from #InspireMeMonday

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    Replies
    1. Julie, Thank you, and thank you for your kind words of encouragement.

      So glad you stopped by. :-)

      Delete
  5. YES...YES! May I grow more peaceful and content, reflecting the light of Christ as I age. A month from turning 70 and life has become far more difficult in some ways yet also so beautiful in these years. I am grateful for the beauty of God's sunsets and your words alongside the gorgeous works of God have given me precious food for thought. Thank you, ~ linda

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    Replies
    1. Linda, Thank you so very much for sharing your own reflections here. I appreciate them.

      And thank you so much for stopping by. :-)

      Delete
  6. Beautiful pictures! I love the water but I also love my mountains :)

    Colletta

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    1. Colletta, Thank you.

      Truth be told, I am more of a mountain and lakes kinda girl. But nevertheless, I appreciate where the Lord has me right now and never take it for granted. :-)

      Thanks for stopping by. :-)

      Delete
  7. Gorgeous!!! You always bless my soul when I come here!

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    1. Meg, Thank you, and thank you for your very kind and encouraging words.

      Blessings,

      Delete
  8. What a beautiful allegory of sunsets and Jesus's grace in our lives. Thanks for linking up with us at the #LMMLinkup this week.

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    1. Mary, Thank you for your very encouraging and kind comment. I appreciate it!

      You are very welcome! :-)

      Delete
  9. Your photos an dwords are so amazing. Glad I was here, on Saterday. I love your allergory! And above all, I am thank ful you wrote about: the steadfast love of our Lord.

    Have a nice day!

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    Replies
    1. Ariella, Thank you so much. I'm glad you visited too!

      Thank you for your thoughtful and kind comments.

      You too!

      Delete
  10. Oh, Karen I love this. I'm absolutely one of those "wistful" people who long for things and then lament them when they have passed. For me, every sunset is too short. Thank you for reminding me that God's love is steadfast!

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    Replies
    1. Jamie, Thank you my wistful kindred friend. :-)

      You are very welcome!

      Delete
  11. Beautiful photos and words about the sunsets and life. Some sunsets it does seem (to me) that the beauty is almost painful to the soul and when that happens it is quietly known that the creator is a genius for knowing when it is needed to have our hearts filled with wonder. The quiet and stillness on a Summer's day when the sun is setting can bring such a longing for just another hour of its beauty before it fades to dark.

    Peabea@Peabea Scribbles

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    Replies
    1. Pea Bea, Thank you.

      And thank you for such eloquent words to add to the conversation. I appreciate them. :-)

      Delete
  12. Wow, your photos are beautiful! Rev loves the water and sunsets. Here in the midwest we don't get many water views of the sun dropping but photos like yours allow us to live vicariously. Thank you!! Blessings!!

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    Replies
    1. Deb, Thank you!

      Awe, well I'm glad. :-)

      You are welcome.

      Blessings to you too!

      Delete

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