Tammy's Tidbits
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Sunrise, Sunset
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Sunrise, Sunset
Sunrise, sunset… sounds like the old song from a Fiddler on the Roof, doesn’t it? Recently, I’ve been appreciating sunrise and sunsets more. I’ve begun to realize how much they can mean to you.
Whether it be because of getting older, going through major life changes, or even the death of a loved one, that simple action of the sun rising and setting has become more symbolic to me.
Growing up, the song from Fiddler on the Roof - Sunrise, Sunset, was a very popular wedding song. I can’t tell you how many weddings I went to that played it!
And yet, I have to be honest, I never understood the fascination of the song? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very beautiful song. A moving and sad song.
Which was exactly why I never thought it was a good song for a wedding! It always made everyone cry! A reflection of how fast the little boy and girl had grown.
As a parent now, I get it. The very thought of your own child growing up and moving on is a sad thought! Magnified even more on the day of their wedding. A sort of sun setting in your eyes.
And yet, for the little boy and girl, the day of their wedding seems like a sunrise! A beginning to a new life they are anxiously looking forward to.
So, I guess it’s all about perspective. And when you think about it, isn’t that what a sunrise/sunset is? Your own perspective, at a certain moment of your life?
At first you may think, what in the world is she talking about? A sunrise vs. a sunset couldn’t be more opposite! And yet, it may surprise you to find out that, in fact, they can be similar due to your perspective.
It is a scientific fact that a simple picture of a sunrise or sunset can actually be just a matter of perspective! How? In my research, they said that it is possible to take a picture of a sunrise and then take a picture of a sunset and the two can be exactly identical!
Of course, you would need no other identifying objects in the picture, such as a clue to the direction of the sun. Rising for the east, setting for the west.
Or the cast of the sunlight, whether it be brighter for a sunrise and of course darker for a sunset. But it can be done! A simple picture of a beautiful sun rising or setting could be determined only by your perspective.
And, interestingly enough, that perspective can change! You may look at that picture, one day you may see it as the sun rising. Yet, that same picture on a different day, you may see that picture as the sun setting. That is your perspective.
Interesting enough as that is, there is also a word most of have heard that has a similar concept. Aloha. That word can be used to say hello or goodbye.
Recently, I just took an emotional journey with my family to Hawaii to fulfill the final wish of my late mother-in-law, Julie. The wish was to have her ashes spread in Hawaii, because her time in Hawaii was her happiest time.
A hard decision, not only due to the location and the task of fulfilling her wish, but an emotional decision to let her go. For at first, we all saw it as the sun setting.
However, in retrospect, I realized how appropriate Hawaii was for such a journey. There they used one simple word, Aloha, as a way to be able to say hello and goodbye.
However, Aloha also means kindness, love and affection. Which believe me, fulfilling Julie’s wish was done through kindness, love and affection.
We chartered a boat, took Julie’s ashes with beautiful red roses and white lilies in hand, and set out on our last journey with her. As the sun began to set, we poured her ashes into the deep, dark, beautiful water.
A beautiful poem read then, each tossing a red rose and white Lilly into the water as we said our goodbyes. As we looked out towards the reflection of the sun, onto the shimmering water with those beautiful floating flowers (the white flowers looking like little swans) we each reflected on our memories with her.
No doubt, hands down, the most raw and purest moment of emotions I have ever felt! But the moment was not over. When we got back to the hotel, down by the beach, they were lighting lanterns.
Such a beautiful moment to watch as you saw these lanterns float up and out to the moonlit ocean. Since we had just had an emotional moment ourselves earlier, we were so moved by their event; the question was asked where they had gotten the lanterns, so perhaps our family could do one for Julie.
Unfortunately, these strangers had bought them through Amazon and brought them with them. They had 4 and had just released 3. Apologizing for interrupting them; it was explained what we had done earlier for our own loved one.
Without hesitation, these beautiful strangers insisted the last lantern would be ours! Would not accept any money for it but instead, through kindness and love, took pictures and video of Julie’s final send off.
A perfect, and of course, highly emotional, day. After being jet lagged, along with the emotional rollercoaster we had endured, exhausted, we went to bed. Our sun had set.
But do you know what? That next morning, we were greeted with a beautiful sunrise and an Aloha! A new day was upon us, not only for us, but perhaps for Julie too?
And that’s when I realized how appropriate it all was! How I was able to put it into perspective. For there can be a hello and a good bye. For when the sun does set, just over the horizon, it will rise again.
Whether it be because of getting older, going through major life changes, or even the death of a loved one, that simple action of the sun rising and setting has become more symbolic to me.
Growing up, the song from Fiddler on the Roof - Sunrise, Sunset, was a very popular wedding song. I can’t tell you how many weddings I went to that played it!
And yet, I have to be honest, I never understood the fascination of the song? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very beautiful song. A moving and sad song.
Which was exactly why I never thought it was a good song for a wedding! It always made everyone cry! A reflection of how fast the little boy and girl had grown.
As a parent now, I get it. The very thought of your own child growing up and moving on is a sad thought! Magnified even more on the day of their wedding. A sort of sun setting in your eyes.
And yet, for the little boy and girl, the day of their wedding seems like a sunrise! A beginning to a new life they are anxiously looking forward to.
So, I guess it’s all about perspective. And when you think about it, isn’t that what a sunrise/sunset is? Your own perspective, at a certain moment of your life?
At first you may think, what in the world is she talking about? A sunrise vs. a sunset couldn’t be more opposite! And yet, it may surprise you to find out that, in fact, they can be similar due to your perspective.
It is a scientific fact that a simple picture of a sunrise or sunset can actually be just a matter of perspective! How? In my research, they said that it is possible to take a picture of a sunrise and then take a picture of a sunset and the two can be exactly identical!
Of course, you would need no other identifying objects in the picture, such as a clue to the direction of the sun. Rising for the east, setting for the west.
Or the cast of the sunlight, whether it be brighter for a sunrise and of course darker for a sunset. But it can be done! A simple picture of a beautiful sun rising or setting could be determined only by your perspective.
And, interestingly enough, that perspective can change! You may look at that picture, one day you may see it as the sun rising. Yet, that same picture on a different day, you may see that picture as the sun setting. That is your perspective.
Interesting enough as that is, there is also a word most of have heard that has a similar concept. Aloha. That word can be used to say hello or goodbye.
Recently, I just took an emotional journey with my family to Hawaii to fulfill the final wish of my late mother-in-law, Julie. The wish was to have her ashes spread in Hawaii, because her time in Hawaii was her happiest time.
A hard decision, not only due to the location and the task of fulfilling her wish, but an emotional decision to let her go. For at first, we all saw it as the sun setting.
However, in retrospect, I realized how appropriate Hawaii was for such a journey. There they used one simple word, Aloha, as a way to be able to say hello and goodbye.
However, Aloha also means kindness, love and affection. Which believe me, fulfilling Julie’s wish was done through kindness, love and affection.
We chartered a boat, took Julie’s ashes with beautiful red roses and white lilies in hand, and set out on our last journey with her. As the sun began to set, we poured her ashes into the deep, dark, beautiful water.
A beautiful poem read then, each tossing a red rose and white Lilly into the water as we said our goodbyes. As we looked out towards the reflection of the sun, onto the shimmering water with those beautiful floating flowers (the white flowers looking like little swans) we each reflected on our memories with her.
No doubt, hands down, the most raw and purest moment of emotions I have ever felt! But the moment was not over. When we got back to the hotel, down by the beach, they were lighting lanterns.
Such a beautiful moment to watch as you saw these lanterns float up and out to the moonlit ocean. Since we had just had an emotional moment ourselves earlier, we were so moved by their event; the question was asked where they had gotten the lanterns, so perhaps our family could do one for Julie.
Unfortunately, these strangers had bought them through Amazon and brought them with them. They had 4 and had just released 3. Apologizing for interrupting them; it was explained what we had done earlier for our own loved one.
Without hesitation, these beautiful strangers insisted the last lantern would be ours! Would not accept any money for it but instead, through kindness and love, took pictures and video of Julie’s final send off.
A perfect, and of course, highly emotional, day. After being jet lagged, along with the emotional rollercoaster we had endured, exhausted, we went to bed. Our sun had set.
But do you know what? That next morning, we were greeted with a beautiful sunrise and an Aloha! A new day was upon us, not only for us, but perhaps for Julie too?
And that’s when I realized how appropriate it all was! How I was able to put it into perspective. For there can be a hello and a good bye. For when the sun does set, just over the horizon, it will rise again.
