PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL BOECHER, POETRY BY KATHY BOECHER

Our days go swiftly, like an early morning dawn,
They often pass so quickly, they pass and they are gone,
We turn each page anticipating,
We long for and are waiting,
For time to take us home,
We set our course on human need and soon are pushed aside,
But holding to God’s master plan, with Him we’ll soon abide,
The lakes will turn to ice,
The trees will sacrifice,
And winter now does loom,
The end of days, a time to pray, repenting of our sins,
We softly cast our cares on God, we know He always wins,
In times of stress or pain
We look to Him for gain,
New life beyond the tomb.

Some of you know how much I love the old musical movies. I could sit and watch the same movie over and over as a child and still do. The movie, “Brigadoon” was one of those song filled stories that touches the heart and soul. Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse danced beautifully in the gloaming of a beautiful pasture of heather. It was filled with mystery, romance, tragedy, lost love and memorable music. The story was based on a fictional tale of a town that only made an appearance once every hundred years. The townspeople didn’t age from the time the spell was cast upon them many years ago.

Yesterday, we chose to wander in the gloaming – in the comfort of our car. It was such a day as the one when Brigadoon would make its magical appearance. A heavy mist was in the air after days of necessary rain. It was noon when we began our journey. As we drove further into the countryside, the mist turned into a dense fog. We could not see more than half a mile into the distance. Still, the mystical air created a beauty we would never have seen otherwise. The road ahead was clouded. The trees still held tightly to their colorful foliage, but the signs of winter were becoming more apparent. Many of those trees were already stripped of their canopy. The evidence lay on the ground below.

As we passed some church cemeteries, there was an air of finality – a grim reminder of this temporary life. Even in that, we saw a magnificent glimpse of heaven, knowing that the end of life doesn’t expire when we take our final breath. Beyond the grave, there is eternal life for those who have faith in what Jesus has done to extend our lives into eternity. That is indeed the truth – not a fairy tale or a magical musical. Days will come and go, but roaming in the gloaming is one way to enjoy even the dark days of life, with hope of a future in paradise.