Sunset off St. Maarten. September 11, 2001.
Welcome to Sky Watch Friday if you would like to see more of the sky from all over the world click HERE. Last week over 300 people shared their skies.
Cruises are very nice — there’s (too much) good food and beautiful scenery. Betsy and I especially liked sunrises and sunsets at sea. They were almost magical moments.
The picture above, which can be enlarged, is of a sunset off St. Maartens in the Caribbean. We watched the sun sink toward the horizon, the ocean get darker and darker, and the sky fill with golds and reds. It looked like a perfect ending to a perfect day.
Now look at the date — September 11, 2001. We had heard about the World Trade Centers and had seen television footage. There were many more questions than answers at that time. How can such horror coexist with such beauty?
I don’t know the answer to that question — just as I don’t know the answer to many other questions. But this I do know —
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
. . .
”Be still, and know that I am God; ‘”
— Psalm 46, 1 – 3, 10
********************
Betsy and I hope to celebrate Valentine’s Day by seeing some new waterfalls, so we will be away from the computers for a couple of days. Hopefully we will be back Sunday. Have a happy Valentine’s Day and a great weekend.
Tags: Skywatch, St. Maarten, Sunrise/Sunset
Senior Moments 
February 12, 2009 at 9:33 pm |
Awesome shot, I always love shots where the sky meets the water, thanks for sharing.
Have a great weekend!
Guy
Regina In Pictures
February 12, 2009 at 9:37 pm |
Gorgeous shot of the sky. I love all of the colors with the water.
Are you the George who has the wonderul wife Betsy who blogs? If so, you are one lucky man!!!! ;o)
February 12, 2009 at 9:53 pm |
Beautiful shot,taken on a day of terror.
Thank-you for that verse,I needed that reminder.Praise God he is still in control.
Have fun checking out more waterfalls.
Blessings,Ruth
February 12, 2009 at 9:53 pm |
George, This is such a pretty picture, but what you wrote and the scripture really spoke to my heart!!! Have fun at the Falls!
February 12, 2009 at 10:01 pm |
That is a beautiful sky. Have a great time looking at waterfalls. Take lots of photos.
February 12, 2009 at 10:04 pm |
George..I’ve been there too…it’s beautiful…
February 12, 2009 at 10:23 pm |
Another beautiful sky photo.
A great verse!!
Here’s wishing you and Betsy a wonderful weekend.
February 13, 2009 at 12:14 am |
That is a beautiful, peaceful sunset and to think that it was shot on the same day as the 9/11 tragedy…
Have a great weekend, both of you!
February 13, 2009 at 3:21 am |
Such a magnificent picture and powerful scripture you share today. Wishing you and Betsy lots of fun this weekend. Happy Valentine’s Day to both of you!
February 13, 2009 at 6:55 am |
Gorgeous picture….lovely verse.
One of the most unanswered of questions…how does beauty coexist with such hate?
Have a great weekend with your sweet heart!!!
February 13, 2009 at 8:35 am |
Beautiful photo & very nice thoughts. Can’t believe you were seeing this beautiful sight on September 11th.
February 13, 2009 at 9:37 am |
Beautiful picture as usual George. Nothing like sunsets in the caribbean. I hope you and Betsy have a great weekend searching for water falls.
February 13, 2009 at 9:50 am |
Well, marvellous photo on that special day! Many thanks to You showing this beautiful photo here.
February 13, 2009 at 9:55 am |
That is a beutiful sunset, on a very special day! I guess that day is a date many of us know excactly where and what we were doing.
February 13, 2009 at 10:07 am |
That sun’s rays are ever reaching and beautiful in your photo!
February 13, 2009 at 10:29 am |
I am so glad I enlarged this, it is gorgeous.
February 13, 2009 at 10:53 am |
Beautiful George
February 13, 2009 at 11:11 am |
Clicked to enlarge and the colors are just gorgeous!! Great shot, George!!
February 13, 2009 at 11:59 am |
I have been to two cruises and I seriously dont remember any glorious sunsets (well I went in wintertime and one in spring), maybe if I get another chance to cruise I will pencil that in my agenda. That is beautiful.
February 13, 2009 at 12:24 pm |
Beautiful sunset. It is amazing and thought provoking that the magnificent and the horrible can be part of the same world.
February 13, 2009 at 12:30 pm |
Beautiful! love the color the sky, the clouds and all. Great shot!
February 13, 2009 at 1:07 pm |
I remember that day vividly. My wife was in Baltimore for a meeting. They couldn’t get a flight out since all airports were closed down. They finally found a rental car (most were at the airport and they wouldn’t let people go there) and drove back.
February 13, 2009 at 3:26 pm |
A photo you will never be able to look at without remembering that date. It is truly a beautiful photograph. Enjoy your waterfalls.
February 13, 2009 at 4:20 pm |
Quite a vivid memory of terrible happenings that this image brings to mind as beautiful as it is. I do remeber that day so clearly. I came in from walking the old dog and my husband was urging me in front of the telly. First I just didn’t grasp the situation at all and thought it was some nightmarish movie going on. It also was the day of my niece having her 18th birthday and the day my dog Luca was born to this world.
For many days I found it hard to beleive that it really had happened and slowly the sheer horror of it sank in.
February 13, 2009 at 6:16 pm |
Beautiful photo … I love cruises too! The date raises cognitive dissonance for me having been home watching events unfold on television from the start on 9-11-01 even as today remembrances of my own time on San Maarten & in the Caribbean arise while I type this. I wish you and Betsy and lovely Valentine’s Day together …
Hugs and blessings,
February 13, 2009 at 8:16 pm |
How poignant George, such a gorgeous sunset on such a terrible day
February 13, 2009 at 8:50 pm |
Visitinf waterfalls sounds like a very nice way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
February 13, 2009 at 10:56 pm |
That is a great capture1 Have a wonderful weekend. And Happy Valentines day.
February 13, 2009 at 11:34 pm |
Such a beautiful sunset! I could stare at it forever!
February 14, 2009 at 2:04 am |
This is such a romantic start to Valentine’s Day..beautiful colours and verse.
February 14, 2009 at 6:45 am |
Such an amazing sky… warm colors on a cold winter’s day! A very lovely verse as well.
Happy Valentine’s Day♥
February 14, 2009 at 8:44 am |
A beautiful sunset and a heart-warming sentiment. Thank you, George.
I hope you and Betsy have a lovely Valentine weekend!
February 14, 2009 at 6:36 pm |
I still can’t talk about 9/11 without crying after all these years & I didn’t even know anyone who died in the attacks – I can’t imagine how family & friends still feel! See, tears – they’re rollin down my face!
Well, Happy Valentine’s Day!!! Have a good one w/ your SWEETIE!!!
February 14, 2009 at 11:02 pm |
The sun didn’t set in Naples today … if you can believe it. It was perfectly sunny at our house when we left to make the 5 mile trip to the gulf beach to watch it. But halfway there it turned foggy, and visibility was measured in the 100s of feet at the beach.
February 15, 2009 at 6:51 pm |
Hi George,
This is a beautiful post – both image and thoughts.
A beautiful verse that complements this photo wonderfully.
February 17, 2009 at 1:51 pm |
I’m real late getting around to folks this week! Lovely sunburst with the drifting clouds! Peaceful!
March 6, 2009 at 7:44 pm |
It is a beautiful sunset. As I started reading this and remembering how we received NO news at all while we were on our recent cruise I was wondering if you even knew about 9/11 at the time. Sounds like THAT news did make it to the cruise, probably because the thoughts of the cruise ships being in danger too. The Buffalo airplane crash was the first news we received when we got into port the morning we left the cruise ship. But it had actually just happened the night before, so we were hearing it along with a lot of other people. It still made it stand out how isolated we had been on the ship. Felt weird.
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