brilliance

Lately, the sunsets around here have been absolutely spectacular. Last night, as I was pulling out of the Target shopping lot with a car full of children, I caught this glorious sight in the sky and had to quickly pull over so that I didn't crash.

Although I had my camera in the car, as is often the case with breathtaking images in nature, the photo doesn't really do it much justice. The light poles and buildings in the background distract from the majesty of it all and my lens wasn't nearly wide enough to capture the whole magnificently colored sky.

But trust me when I say, it was gorgeous.

There was red and orange and yellow and purple and pink and blue and I might have even seen a hint of green. It was as if the Big Guy upstairs pulled out a paintbrush and said, "Here, let me show you a little of what I can do with color."

This morning, I set the children up with their paints and Elizabeth immediately set about creating this masterpiece which she dubbed "Sunset." Apparently, the sun's farewell from the night before had an impact on her, too.

For all of the crazy that my children subject me to each and every day, it is moments like this that make me so thankful that I am a mother. I just love seeing their little minds at work. It's the best benefit of this parenting gig. Next to hugs and kisses and whispers of, "Mom you are the bestest Mom in the WHOLE world. Except for when you don't give me cookies when I really want cookies. Can I have a cookie?"

The sunset and my children.

As far as I'm concerned, they are both gifts straight from God.