Sunset Season
May Newsletter
A chara [dear friend, in Irish] ~
It’s Sunset Season on the North Coast of Ireland. At this time of the year it’s light until nearly 11, and a month from now it will be light until nearly midnight. When it’s not cloudy, the sunsets last for hours. The sun slowly closes in on the horizon, and then, if you’re lucky enough to catch it, it happens: during a few magical moments, the sun sits on the edge of the water and then suddenly slips below it. After that long wait, it can seem anticlimactic when the sun disappears out of sight. The setting itself actually happens quite fast, quietly, without fanfare or drama.
The sun is gone, but the light continues to glow, just as glorious as it was a few minutes earlier - but in a different way. There’s a beauty in the stretch of time after the sun sets, too. There’s no sun to blind your eyes. The colors become richer, deeper. The sea glimmers as the sky takes on a new hue. It can be very still and peaceful during those post-sunset moments. And this period, too, can last a surprisingly long time. I was driving home late a few nights ago, and I could still see the remnants of sunset off in the distance - clouds of pink cotton candy hanging just above the rolling green hills.
Sunsets are cliche - of course, everyone knows they’re beautiful. They’re icons, stereotypes of the gorgeousness of nature. But consider for a moment what it is that we’re idolizing here.
An Ending.
Poets, photographers, painters, and musicians alike all glorify the particular beauty of An Ending.
We all face them - endings to our days. But there are ways to end beautifully. And there are ways to cherich endings, to mark them, to enjoy them.
In the process of marking and treasuring the beauty of sunsets, we practice trust that after this ending, there will be a beginning, too. Morning will come. Day will shine bright. And then it will come to an ending point again.
Even further, we can consider the sunset as an ending that leads to the beginning of something right then and there - the spectacular and distinct beauty of the night. In the nighttime, we are opened to a completely different sort of glory ~ of stars and candles and firelight, and of restful, peaceful darkness.
Sunsets allow us practice for endings that happen in other parts of our lives. They help us to learn to end well. To appreciate those closing moments, to love deeply, to enjoy what that day has held. And then, to let it go. To let the sun set. To allow the ending to happen.
They remind us that we need not fear the darkness, the unknown that comes after the sunsets of our lives. For we know that morning will come again. And we also know that there will be treasures and beauty to be found in the darkness in between.
What’s ending in your life? How can you cherish that, and welcome the darkness that might come afterward for a time? And how can you hold onto the hope that light will return, that morning will come, that day will break through once again?
Kiran
Upcoming Events
Retreats
Our schedule for retreats at Corrymeela in 2024/25 is confirmed for next year! See dates and themes below, and contact welcome@corrymeela.org for more information.
Darkness to Light Retreat (Overnight) 12th-13th November 2024
Stillness in Community (2-3 Days) 27/28th February-2nd March 2025
Resilient Spirit Retreat (6 Days) 29th April-4th May 2025
The Journal is out in Paperback!
For the past 18 weeks, I’ve been busy over on the Psalms for the Spirit podcast, featuring one Psalm per week as we journey through 44 Psalms with the accompanying journal. Find out more on the podcast webpage
The journal is now available in paperback! Here’s the Amazon link, and it’s available globally if you search for it in your region.
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If you’re somewhere else, scroll down the page to the bottom to find where to review!
Not too late to join the Journey…
If you’d like to join the Psalms journey, you would be most welcome. Free subscribers to Psalms for the Spirit receive a weekly short-form podcast, and Paid Subscribers to Bless My Feet or Psalms for the Spirit receive the podcast along with a downloadable mp3 of the song and journal pages (you also get the full 180-page journal ebook).
There will be a Zoom gathering for anyone who’s been following the Psalms journey (even if sporadically - don’t worry if you’ve just been dabbling or have missed some!) at the end of June (details TBC).
Blessing for our Journey
May the God of glorious sunsets
be with us when the sun sets
on our days, on our projects
on our work, on our dreams
on our plans, on our designs.
May we remember that endings
are to be cherished
marked, enjoyed to the fullest.
And that the after-glow of endings
has a glory all of its own.
May we cherish our endings,
giving thanks for the day
or the chapter, or the era
and everything it held.
May we see the darkness falling
and know that it is beautiful too.
And may we trust
with a deep assurance
that morning will come again.
Amen