I went to the beach this afternoon to read and watch the sun set. It was wonderful and shocking. What was wonderful about it was the grace that comes through in a beach sunset. The changing hues of the atmosphere, the thunderous yet calming break of the waves, the strange carefree lives of birds; all of them speak to me of a story much larger than my own. What was shocking to me is that for almost 2 hours while the sun went down, I was virtually alone. If it weren't for another man sitting in his reclining beach chair about two stations away from me, I would have been completely alone on the beach. For a moment I thought how sad it was that here was this marvelous act of communication, and only two souls were there to join in with it and offer praise back. But then I just relaxed and let it wash over me. Sometimes it's better not to think too much upon these things.