Reflections on the End of a Year (and a Decade) and the Start of New Ones

Yesterday I wrote about the good things I'll remember from the decade ending tonight at midnight - a 10-year span that Time Magazine called "The Decade From Hell." I am sometimes accused of being overly positive and it is a criticism I will readily admit to. I tend to see the silver lining in most clouds and when I woke up this morning I saw a spectacular natural phenomenon that reminded me why I have the mindset that I do. 

The photo I snapped below doesn't do it justice but it was all I had a chance to capture in the minute or two before the sun peaked above the horizon and washed away the stunning colors that stretched from the water a few feet in front of me into the heavens above.

This unexpected natural masterpiece was on display in my backyard for a few moments just 
before sunrise today - New Year's Eve - then it was gone (but the artist is always there).

I happened to wake up early today and when I came downstairs to get things started with my usual  cup of coffee the scene above was bursting through the rear windows and sliding glass doors. I had not seen anything like it in the 2 1/2 years since we moved into this house in the country just north of Tampa, Florida.

The sun was not up yet, but from below the horizon it provided a spotlight that illuminated an unusual multi-colored canopy of clouds. The sky in turn was perfectly reflected in the glassy smooth water of the pond that begins in our backyard and stretches across to the homes on the opposite bank (they are the dark swath flowing through the middle of the photo and their silhouette was also reflected in the water).

I grabbed my camera and got a couple of snapshots before the scene quickly faded in the glow of the rising sun. But it was there long enough to give me a sense of something far more beautiful and powerful than anything that man can manufacture. No painting (or photo) on earth has ever come close to capturing such indescribable beauty.