How Was Your Day?

Have you ever given much thought to the fact that Christ was buried at sunset and rose again at sunrise? That is one of the reasons I love them so much.  They are daily reminders for me of what Easter is about....and are a part of what makes me an Easter person.  I love them.  I love to see the fresh start to a new day with a glorious sunrise and I love to see the peaceful end to a day with the sun setting.  I guess if I had to pick a picture that speaks volumes with no words needed it would be either a sunrise or sunset.  But, I have found that watching a sunset was not as simple for me as watching the sunrise. I am not always where I can see the sun set from my home. Sunrise happens behind me daily as I drive to work.  It is great to live on an east/west road.  My rearview mirror becomes a blaze of delightful colors as the sun rises.  I wonder what the people of Rock Mills think about me when they see me outside...waiting and watching for the sun to set, or when I get my camera out in the Walmart parking lot because the timing is perfect and the sunset magnificent.  I love beach, mountain, Rock Mills sunrises/sunsets.  They are all different.....yet they are all alike.  The colors are always different, the time is different, but the fact that they occur daily...makes them the same. I always feel a deep sense of sorrow for the ones who are so busy in their lives that they keep missing the sunset that was right before their eyes if they only took the time to look. I mean come on....how can you miss a giant fuchsia-tinted ball of light illuminating the horizon with pinks, purples and orange?  How can you not see it and not know that there is a God out there?  While snapping the sunset madly in Walmart's parking lot I found that more people were looking at me and my camera than looking up in the sky at  the astonishing sunset.  It made me want to shout, "Look!  Is that not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?"  But I think they would have probably called the men in the white coats to come and get me if I had.  I continued to snap....and eventually someone else followed the direction of my lens and looked too.  I wanted to shout then, "HA!  Made you look!"....but I refrained.  I was just glad someone else was basking in the glory with me. Since I have begun Project 365 my precious husband has provided many adventures/opportunities/chances for me to find the perfect sunset/sunrise....and any other shot I dream up.  I have to admit that there are moments while I am watching the sunset/sunrise when everything else becames completely blocked from sight. When you are driving away from them, or into them you have to admit there is a frame of time when they can be totally blinding; you need to look away from time to time.  Even when I pick the right time to snap the picture there are times when the sun is just too intense for the picture to work.  It is times like these that I pause to  remember God’s glory. The brightness of the sun is like the God I believe in and love with all my heart.  I can only imagine what it will be like to meet Him face to face. Just like I can’t fully take in a sunset with my own eyes, I cannot fully take in the mystery of the God who created it. This man who was conceived miraculously, lived commonly, taught, died for me, took away my sins, and rose so that I can have everlasting life....this Man.....I have to admit my finite mind has difficulty taking in the infinite of this plan.  Yet, back to sunrise/sunset.....I have learned from watching them over the years that this glowing ball intensifies when it is going down.....and I feel like they are God's own words straight from Psalm 46:10 when He says, "Be still and know that I am God. I will be praised in all the nations; I will be praised throughout the earth." I also see sunsets/sunrises as a reminder that I have/had twenty four hours to do something.....what did I do?  Did I make a difference?  Was I pleased with the way I spent this time? Did I accomplish what I set out to do with this time I had been given? I hear God asking me as the day comes to a close, “Was it a good day for you?” so on this blessed Thursday I want to encourage you all to make the most of this day and reflect on all that you have experienced once the sunset comes.  Can you do that for me?

Conch for a Day

This is one of my favorite places, Mallory Square in Key West, FL. I have kidded with my friends over the years that this place is to be my final resting place. Actually my exact words were...when I die I want all my friends to gather at Sunset at Mallory Square, I want Richard Forehand and Rexton Lee (two former students) to play the Kansas song Dust in the Wind as my ashes are scattered to the four winds. Sounds romantic huh? Actually there truly is no pretty place on earth than the sunsets at Mallory Square and when I do die...it would not be a bad way to go. The center of Key West's historic waterfront, Mallory Square stages the famous Key West sunset
celebration and that is what I want my passing to be a big celebration. I think the Irish are on to something with their famous wakes. The Historic Mallory Square and the city of Key West both had their beginning along this deep harbor waterfront -the wrecking schooners, the frigates and warships of the US Navy, the Cuban cigar makers tobacco warehouses, ship's chandlers and government offices combined to make Key West a bustling seaport out on the frontier of a young America. Today, Mallory
Square is a Key West must see. You will find exciting attractions(street jugglers, entertainers, Hemingway's House, et.al.), the unparalleled shopping of Duval Street, the Key West historic sculpture garden and of course, every evening, the famous sunset celebration. If you ever decide to plan a trip of a lifetime...you need to go to Key West and spend at least one evening at Mallory Square taking in the most breathtaking sunsets ever. It is truly one of the places you want to see before dying...oh and while you are there....eat a piece of Key Lime Pie ( I am enclosing my own personal recipe) and sample some conch fritters...they are a local must! Bon Appetit!
Karen's Famous Key Lime Pie Recipe
When you take a bite of this pie, you'll understand why key lime pie is such an awesome experience. It is well-loved in my household that is for sure!

Servings: Makes one (9-inch) pie
Serving Size: not available
Nutrition: See Below
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 0

Ingredients
3 eggs, separated
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1/2 cup key limes lime juice...regular lime juice does not make a key lime pie
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust (you can use a grahm cracker crust if you prefer.
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. In medium bowl, beat egg yolks on low speed; gradually beat in EAGLE BRAND® and lime juice until smooth. Stir in food coloring (optional). Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 350°F. In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar on medium speed, 1 tablespoon at a time; beat 4 minutes longer or until sugar is dissolved and stiff glossy peaks form.
Immediately spread meringue over hot pie, carefully sealing to edge of crust to prevent meringue from shrinking. Bake 15 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Chill at least 3 hours. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator. Notes: Tip: For a lighter filling, fold 1 stiffly beaten egg white into filling mixture. Proceed as directed. If you are watching your weight...this pie may not be for you. There is nothing low fat about it. My suggestion is to take an extra pass around the block after you eat a piece...because this pie is NOT something you want to pass up.