Yesterday afternoon just as Mr. E’ville was walking in the door and I was putting the final touches on our dinner, I caught the unusual cast of light happening outside our windows. Grabbing my camera, I ran outside to capture the event. Immediately I began shooting photos, I did not want to miss a bit of the sunset I felt so privileged to spy. They are brief and if you’re not looking, you’ll miss the pageantry. How naive to think the sky was dancing only for me.

As I was gazing upward, my neighbor yelled over to me,

“Do you know what this is?”

“Beautiful!” was my reply.

“It’s Alec saying hello”. As I agreed, my neighbor and his dog continued their walk into the peaceful sunset. Alec is my neighbor’s son who sadly passed in 2017. What a lovely sentiment at the end of the day bringing a smile to us both and a chance to connect over Mother Nature’s last call. I am thankful my eyes were open. I took a few more pictures, posting my favorite on Insta, then went inside to finish preparing dinner for Mr. E’ville and me.

Just as we were serving up, my phone rang.

It was my cousin in Florida.

“I just saw your beautiful sunset post and had to call!” she told me.

She was sitting on her porch watching her sunset. We talked for almost three hours, reminiscing about our childhoods, other cousins, aunts and uncles, and our parents. We laughed about shared memories and I actually learned a thing or two. As time ticked by nostalgia breathed ‘my people’ into the room and I felt them surrounding me as we talked about us and them as we were many sunsets ago.

I missed dinner with Mr. E’ville last night, thank you husband for keeping mine warm. And thank you Alec for the borrowed sunset. It gave me time well spent with a beloved cousin who happened to have her eyes open, too.