As a metaphor I suppose both have their place, but I have to admit that the rising of the sun to greet a new day and to chase away the darkness has a certain motivational quality while the sun setting has instead a sense of something ending and invites a rest and a seeming closure to things. There is a constancy to the sunrise that you put your trust in and while clearly just as constant, the sunset just doesn’t project that same feeling. In reality there is beauty in both. The ending and the beginning, the beginning and the ending. The opportunities and possibilities of each new day and the invitation to let things go and rest at the close of the day. One can’t help but see the touch of God in the hues of gold, pink and purple as they shine through the clouds, shimmering across the waters like a road calling you to chase along after that glowing orb as it descends around the curve of the world or the coming of the dawn and the light that marches towards you, first kissing your skin and then enfolding you in its warm embrace. With each sunrise and each sunset I feel like I am being given a gift and I owe it to myself to appreciate each one for the beauty and the inspiration they offer. Perhaps we should all be more intentional about seeking the sun and respecting its gifts.