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The Sunrise, Sunset and Me

Writer's picture: Rhonda RonsmanRhonda Ronsman

I have taken photos of sunrises for a very long period. The photo to the left was taken when I was on my way to work in Delafield, WI years ago. I remember how cold it was that morning. I had a crappy car that had terrible heat. But I clearly remember driving past this house, seeing that sunrise over the lake, and seeing how the light shone on those footprints. I turned around and stopped and took a photo. It’s truly one of my favorites.


I never asked myself why taking photos of sunrises has always been a big deal for me. I drive across the Hoan Bridge here in Milwaukee, WI, and see sunrises all the time. It is spectacular and it takes a lot for me to just continue driving and not stop and take a photo. That happened to me last week, and I decided to do a little bit of research on my photos to figure out why seeing a sunrise impacts me so much.


Every day in our life, when we wake up, we have a chance. Another chance to think differently, act differently, and be better as human beings. Some days can bring complete change, where what you believed the day before is completely different than what you believe the day after. Some days can bring just a thought of reaching out and apologizing for something you did wrong (I’ve done that throughout my life - where it just pops in my head one day and I know it’s time). Some days validate that what you did the day before was the right thing, even though it brought a lot of pain.


But it’s that sunrise that brings it out. It’s that light to be able to see things a little bit more clearly if you let it happen.


One of the most notable sunrises I took was a photo at Lake Express. This is the ferry that transports people to Michigan from Wisconsin. I wasn’t planning on getting a shot of a sunrise. It just happened. That morning, I had a lot on my mind and a lot to sort out in my soul and spirit. I wrote a blog about it shortly after I took the photo, however, that was a small part of what that sunrise did. I was probably in a little bit of denial about what was truly happening in my heart. No one knew this was happening, but I knew. That sunrise, after I went home and brought it up on my photo modifier, changed a lot for me. I realized what I had to do with my heart, what I had to do with my head, what I had to do with conversations that had to be had, and what I had to start believing about things that I refused to dispute in my brain. I had to face a lot of really hard realities. But it wasn’t ugly; in hindsight, it was so essential to growing. I cried. However, I’ve never seen a plant grow without a little water.


The photo to the right is of my son, Keaton. Again, I had no intention of taking a photo like this.

We were in Aruba during Christmas, and on our way to a beach on a cool speedboat. This trip is one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever had. He and I had a blast. This photo has the sun shining on this beautiful creation who is my son, and the outline of the now man who was once a little boy who found his place and his confidence. It is just shining through in this shot.


The photo below is a sunrise I took at my first public speaking event in Hawaii. It was shortly after my brother passed away from cancer in 2010. I walked into our room when my son, my dad, and I arrived at our hotel, and oddly enough, this was not a sunrise. This was a sunset.


My son stood on one of the balconies and was so excited that we were in Hawaii. He looked at me and said “Mom…I think Uncle Darrin is telling us he’s okay. Look, Mom, LOOK.” I did and shot this photo below. After I looked at it hours later, I just cried. I knew my brother was telling me that the rising and setting of the sun, is a sign that life goes on and that these two things, you can depend on every single day, even if it is cloudy. It is always there.

This is why I love taking photos of the Sun. It is consistent. It doesn’t lie. It’s always there. It helps things grow. Even when it’s nighttime here, it’s rising and setting somewhere else. I can depend on it and look at it as a reminder that I can continue to grow and be better each day.


No one can tell the sun that it is something different than what it is. And as long as I don‘t allow it, the sun reminds me that no one can tell me that either.


Keep shining.


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©2019 by Rhonda Ronsman Speaks, LLC
1655 North Mayfair Road, #26263
Wauwatosa, WI 53226

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