Different Shades of Sun

The Middle East. The cradle of civilization. A toaster oven locked on "broil" setting. All in all, not a bad place, if you are in Kuwait. Yes its hot, the devil would be more at home here than Georgia, but the Kuwaiti's are nice and accommodating. Muslim culture, as i found in West Africa, is a very hospitable culture, requiring followers to give to others, so none shall want. The golden rule is practiced often, with exception to fanatical fringe groups. For breakfast, i had bacon with and IN my omelet. Not that odd, until you remember I'm in the heart of Islamic culture! Yet, us Americans, infidels, love our pork, and so the Kuwaiti cooks serve it up in huge batches. Looking past the walls and the berm and the wire, i see sand. LOTS of sand. our base is literally in the middle of nowhere. The sun rises here about 5am, and sets at 1900 (7pm). yet, by 10am, its hotter than AZ at high noon. In fact, at noon, its Higher Noon. Sunrises and sunsets (for those who are in the know, I'm a total sucker for them) are some of the most gorgeous I've laid my eyes on. That's saying a lot having been all over the world. Sunsets in West Africa were similar to Cali, but had more gold and sparkle in the air and water. Silhouettes were bolder. Here, they're softer. not a quick jump to twilight and then its gone and dark. No, here it seems as though a sunset should last an hour, filtering through the blown sand. the sky is filled with pinks, purples, a slight haze. The beauty of God's 1st creation being savored in the land where he ultimately made Man. Its incrdible to watch. the sunrise, on the otherhand is not as luxuriously slow. its not harsh, in your face. its steady, methodical, bold. While the sunset is like a lingering goodnight kiss at the end of a date, where you keep kissing, trying to leave only to run back to the porch for one last peck, over and over, the sunrise is its antithesis. boldly grabbing you. Dawn approcahes quickly with pink, orange then the sun leaps over the horizon and starts baking like Paula Dean. And yes, she would call for more butter. the moment the sun is over the horizon, its bright and hot. not gradually increasing in temperature through blowing sand and dust. Nay, the sunrise says "I'm here, baby!".

So while this will take some getting used to, it is enlightening to think that i'm staring at the same sunrises and sunsets as Adam & Eve, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Elija, David, Daniel, Jesus and His 12 Apostles. While some of them were say 600 miles west of me, its the same region. And to cap it off, this is where God said "Let there be light!" and the sun  rose, and the Lord said "It is good!" That would explain the intensity of the sunrise. God commanded the sun into the sky, and ever since, the sun has done just that. Lept out of its slumber and illuminated the world. And the Lord looks down on me and says "It is good!"