Most of us have seen the sun. My request to you, post reading this post, or whenever you can make the time, is to watch the sun a little longer, mindful of it’s presence. First, try and watch the sunrise for a few minutes. Then look at it again at noon (but don’t get blinded!). And then again, look at it at sunset.
At each of these times......
What did you see?
And how did you feel?
I’ll tell you what I saw. Before that I must also confess that I had myself never looked at the sun in the manner I am asking you to. So I decided to do so. I woke up to see the sunrise and what I saw were rays of light in a yellowish orange shade peeping through at first and then gradually lighting up the sky and all that existed as far as my eyes could see. Something that was dark and not visible a few minutes back was easily identifiable. Of course, back home in India, it is almost impossible to look at the afternoon sun – it could actually blind you. At sunset, I saw a ball of orange throwing colours with a myriad hues in the sky immediately above itself that I had not seen before.
I’ll tell you how I felt. I felt blessed. I bowed down to the sun. I was grateful to the rising sun for taking away the darkness and helping me to see. I looked at the food on my plate and thanked the sun for having nourished the trees and fields that helped grow the food that has nourished me for decades. I smiled and acknowledged the setting sun for creating magic in the sky that I had not seen before. I felt humbled by the sun and I silently thanked the sun for its presence in my life. I thanked my Lord for the sun. Today, I try to watch the sun as often as I can, which is probably six days a week (Yes, I too love to snooze and laze in bed sometimes….lol).
The sun made me renew my commitment to happiness. And happiness starts with oneself, more importantly, with one’s heart and mind. An unhappy mind and an unforgiving heart are quite often responsible for giving little things very large shadows. It is therefore important to have a happy mind and a happy heart so that it shines, brightens and nourishes both us and those around us, just like the sun. And how does one ‘find’ happiness. A hymn that we used to sing in church comes to mind. One of the verses goes thus....
“Happiness is where you are and what you want to be,
If you look you’re sure to find a rainbow of your dreams,
Tomorrow’s fuller than a thousand yesterdays,
With the vision of a new day in your heart”.
Like the sun, may your mind and heart always shine brightly and happily with the vision of a new day and consequently burn all shadows. This is my wish and prayer for you.
God bless….. ivan rodrigues (ivanrodrigues777@yahoo.com)
At each of these times......
What did you see?
And how did you feel?
I’ll tell you what I saw. Before that I must also confess that I had myself never looked at the sun in the manner I am asking you to. So I decided to do so. I woke up to see the sunrise and what I saw were rays of light in a yellowish orange shade peeping through at first and then gradually lighting up the sky and all that existed as far as my eyes could see. Something that was dark and not visible a few minutes back was easily identifiable. Of course, back home in India, it is almost impossible to look at the afternoon sun – it could actually blind you. At sunset, I saw a ball of orange throwing colours with a myriad hues in the sky immediately above itself that I had not seen before.
I’ll tell you how I felt. I felt blessed. I bowed down to the sun. I was grateful to the rising sun for taking away the darkness and helping me to see. I looked at the food on my plate and thanked the sun for having nourished the trees and fields that helped grow the food that has nourished me for decades. I smiled and acknowledged the setting sun for creating magic in the sky that I had not seen before. I felt humbled by the sun and I silently thanked the sun for its presence in my life. I thanked my Lord for the sun. Today, I try to watch the sun as often as I can, which is probably six days a week (Yes, I too love to snooze and laze in bed sometimes….lol).
The sun made me renew my commitment to happiness. And happiness starts with oneself, more importantly, with one’s heart and mind. An unhappy mind and an unforgiving heart are quite often responsible for giving little things very large shadows. It is therefore important to have a happy mind and a happy heart so that it shines, brightens and nourishes both us and those around us, just like the sun. And how does one ‘find’ happiness. A hymn that we used to sing in church comes to mind. One of the verses goes thus....
“Happiness is where you are and what you want to be,
If you look you’re sure to find a rainbow of your dreams,
Tomorrow’s fuller than a thousand yesterdays,
With the vision of a new day in your heart”.
Like the sun, may your mind and heart always shine brightly and happily with the vision of a new day and consequently burn all shadows. This is my wish and prayer for you.
God bless….. ivan rodrigues (ivanrodrigues777@yahoo.com)
2 comments:
Every year on my daughter's birthday we would walk to the harbor in Plymouth, MA,USA; not far from our home. We got up before dawn and got to the harbor just before sunrise. The soft glow of the sun glistening off the water filled us with peace and gratitude for all we had. My daughter is now 18 and in college. She usually sleeps through the sunrise but I still as often as I can get up to watch the sunrise while I feed the birds outside. At sunset I look and thank God for all the beauty all around me and for everything I have. I have never looked at the sun at noontime. I will now start. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Kathy,
It's amazing, but old habits die hard :) The discipline has ensured that you continue to experience the miracle of the sunrise.
Noon time can be blinding, but on a sunny day it bathes everything around us in it's glorious light. And then the sunset.... stay alive to the sounds at all times.
Thanks for your comment. God bless you always.
Post a Comment