Appreciate The Sunset

  My freshman year of college, I was sitting on the bus after a particularly cold day and looking mournfully out the window at the snow covered ground while contemplating my yet unfinished homework. At each stop I would dream of the day when I would have my own car and not have to rely on public transportation. The bus stopped and a young man got on the bus taking the seat in front of me.
It was obvious that he had many struggles in life, including a mental and physical handicap. He chattered merrily with the bus driver for a little while, and then looking out the window exclaimed, “Look at that!.”
I turned to see what he was looking at and caught a glimpse of the most breathtaking sunset. The kind that you can take picture after picture of but never really capture how pretty it really was.
The young man in front of me then said, “I’m sure glad I was alive to see that!” and resumed his conversation with the driver.
It was a humbling moment. How often do I stop and look at the sunset, or the moon, or my home, or my husbands smile, or any number of beautiful gifts that surround me and say, “I’m sure glad I was alive to see that.” I have never looked at sunsets the same way since. Now when I see the sky aglow, bathed in pink and purple I can’t help but think about the many blessings I enjoyed that day. No matter how bad the day was, I’m sure glad I was alive to see the sunset.