Nine Cars on a Sandbar

Nine Cars on a Sandbar
Finding Beauty In Every Day

      Driving home from work, I often stop to take pictures when I find something that catches my eye. I love sharing beautiful or fun pictures or places with others. It’s a practice my Mother and my Mam-ma inspired – and I really enjoy it. For me, finding and focusing on the beauty around us is a way to de-stress and separate from the many demands of my workday. So…I’m routinely looking for beautiful spots or scenes to photograph and share. Sunrises and sunsets are some of my absolute favorites!

      One day this past week, the sunset was even more brilliant and spectacular than usual – and even though I was in a hurry to get home, I kept searching for a place to stop and get some good pictures to capture the moment. I pulled off the road at a couple of different locations, but I couldn’t seem to find just the right spot. When I would get parked, the angle would be wrong, or there would be a power line in the way…it just wasn’t right. The sun continued steadily sinking in the west – and I knew my opportunity to get good pictures was fading. I got back in my car and hurried to get to the lake, knowing that it would be a beautiful place to watch the daylight disappear and (hopefully) capture some good shots. There is a tiny peninsula that has a paved road and a small parking area – the perfect place to watch the sun set.

      When I turned off the highway, I was surprised to find the normally empty little area almost crowded. There were nine vehicles parked carefully – not correctly in the designated parking places – but carefully angled to get the best views of the setting sun. A big extended cab truck had pulled over just past the entrance, with an older couple sitting inside enjoying the peaceful scene. I drove on past a little car with a college student sitting alone – not engrossed in her phone – just peacefully relaxing and watching the beautiful skies. A couple who looked to be in their 40’s got out of their car and walked down the steps to the water’s edge for their view. There were license plates from different states – locals and people on vacation who had found the little arm of land extending out onto the lake. Vehicles were all along the west edge with everyone focused on the beautiful scene. After I found a spot, more vehicles arrived, shut off their engines, and settled in to watch the sunset. The weather was warm enough that my window was rolled down for a better view – and I noticed others had done the same. It was quiet, and friendly, and relaxing as we all sat separately but together for about 15 minutes to see the sun slowly drop out of sight.

      I left thinking about the spectacular beauty of that sunset – but also about the pleasant harmony I had enjoyed for those few moments at the end of a long day – with people from many different walks of life – enjoying the amazing beauty of God’s creation. Watching the news or social media, the world today sometimes seems like it’s in a complete uproar – almost as if it is impossible to get along with our neighbors – to appreciate and enjoy things together – to focus on a common goal. But last week, I sat with several strangers at the end of a long day, and together we enjoyed nature’s beautiful show. Going forward, I’m going to try to work harder to find more of these opportunities, to focus on the positives instead of the negatives – to THINK ON GOOD THINGS. It really was wonderful to share that beautiful time with others – and I have thought about it with an inner smile several times since.

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