The Sun Also Rises
Have you ever noticed that oftentimes the most romantic moments in movies happen at sunset? There really is something about that light...it's romantic and beautiful. It really is the perfect setting for romance.
But I have a confession.
While I like sunsets, my real passion is on the other end...sunrises.
Not that I see a lot of them, or am able to really enjoy them if I do see them. Having a couple of preschoolers has made that a little more difficult.
But, when I am around for them, I love them. I love them because it's a new day and whatever seemed overwhelming in the darkness of night is washed away by the light.
And they are incredibly romantic.
Say what?
I have a reason for this--let me set the scene.
May, 2003. A chilly (very) early morning in Milwaukee. My alarm goes off and I begrudgingly force myself out of my warm bed, get dressed and make my way into the kitchen. Marc is already there, pouring coffee into a thermos. We exchange pleasantries and then gather the blankets and bag of treats and leave the house.
As we make our way to the lake side I wonder why this is so important for Marc to show me. He has brought up the sunrise on the lake so many times in recent weeks. At first I thought he was just telling me how pretty it was and that "one day" we should check it out. You know, "one day." But then he brought it up again...and again...and actually put a plan in place for us to see it. The urgency! We had just rolled into town the night before and now we were up early to go see the sunrise. I just felt tired and cold. I was a little grumpy.
He parked the car and we made our way down a beautiful staircase. A very long, beautiful staircase. All I could think is how much I was not looking forward to the return trip.
He found what he deemed as a perfect spot and we put out the blanket and sat down. I also covered myself in layers of blankets--it was cold.
The next thing I heard was a bottle being popped. Champagne? What was going on? I couldn't get over just how much he really loved sunrises.
So we sat, alternated between sipping our bubbly and coffee (a weird combo, but it worked--both were warming me up) and talked.
It was so nice. My grumpiness faded and we talked about everything. Our pasts, our present, our future. We knew we were going to get married. We knew we'd have kids. But we also knew we wanted a house and a dog, first. Oh the plans we made, the wishes we had.
Unfortunately for Marc, the sunrise wasn't exactly cooperating. It was a cloudy day and the beautifulness that he wanted to share with me was partly blocked.
And it was cold. After a couple of hours I mentioned how cold I was and asked if it was time to go. The sun had risen and although it was a wonderful morning, I was ready to get into a heated vehicle.
He agreed and we started to pack up our stuff. While packing we talked about ring shopping and I said I wanted nothing to do with that, I wanted him to pick me a ring. I trusted him and wanted him to do it all on his own.
"Ok, well, what about this one?"
When I turned around he was on his knees.
My first reaction was to laugh. I literally thought he was joking. Like he had just picked up a branch or something and quickly made a "ring."
But, as I looked closer, that was no branch.
The rest is a beautiful blur...there were tears, the most lovely speech and promises. There was love.
And it all happened at sunrise on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee.
Oh, and the "return trip" of climbing that very long, beautiful staircase I was so worried about? It was super easy because I floated up them.
This is why sunsets don't own the "most romantic" part of the day for me.
Because the sun also rises and it's the most beautiful thing.