East to west, whole world embraced by sunrise/sunset hopeCOFFEE WITH WARREN, with Warren Harbeck |
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The beauty of sunrises and sunsets embraces the whole wide world with hope. Photos (1) sunrise over tea plantations in Kerala, India, by Robyn MacKay; (2) sunset from Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia, by Dr. Ralph Dubienski; (3) sunset over the Caribbean Sea by James Harbeck; (4) sunset near Cuernavaca, Mexico, courtesy Mission Mexico; (5) sunset in the Cook Islands, South Pacific, by Dr. Dan Popov; (6) sunset in Queensland, Australia, by Brett Kropp Last week’s column on sunrises and sunsets from across Canada included a photo of a P.E.I. sunset by former Cochrane resident Joan MacRae. Calgary dentist Dr. Ralph Dubienski, founder of the humanitarian initiative Hopethiopia, responded to her photo with a sunset over Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia. When I shared his response with Joan, she replied: “Can you sneak that sunset from Ethiopia into next week’s column? It would remind people that there’s a big world out there, and a lot of it is crying for help!” Good point, Joan. In fact, you gave me an idea. I contacted some of our other readers with ties to the wider world outside Canada. This week’s column features some of their inspiring sunrise/sunset photos and wisdom. Cochrane’s globe-trekking cyclist Robyn MacKay shared a sunrise from southern India. My photographer/philologist son James Harbeck offered a sunset over the hurricane-prone Caribbean Sea. Former Cochrane pastor Fred Monk, founder of the humanitarian outreach Mission Mexico, responded with a sunset near Cuernavaca, Mexico. From Australia, our newest long-distance coffee companion Brett Kropp shared a sunset he’d captured in the Mt. Mee region of Queensland. And from the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, author Linda Kavelin-Popov shared a glorious sunset captured by her husband, Dr. Dan Popov. When I shared the above responses with Linda, she wrote back with the beautiful words with which I’ll wrap up this week’s column: “From east to west, we watch one sun rising and setting. Its beauty is indeed a reminder of the bigger world out there, and, as Joan said, ‘a lot of it is crying for help.’ “Gazing at the eternal rise and fall of light, we are lifted on a wave of hope and gratitude at being alive to witness it, whatever our earthly circumstances. In that moment, we are no longer earthbound by hunger or pain, or the knowledge that our days are numbered. Immersed in an ocean of light, we know we are not alone. “Beauty awakens us to the eternal, and a yearning arises to mirror it in our lives. We are called to care for one other. We cannot turn away.”
© 2017 Warren Harbeck |