Share the Love – Catching the Sunrise – December 21, 2017
Michelle LaBrosse, CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT
Solstice Sunrise over the Coastal Range in SE Alaska.
My father was always up before the sun rose. He liked to travel and when we were kids and he’d take us camping in beautiful places, with some amazing sunrises. I remember camping with him on Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire. I was 7 or 8 years old. It was in mid-September, the morning was cold. He had gotten up before anyone else and had hot water on for hot cocoa for the kids, coffee for he and my mother. Most of the family was still sleeping. When there are five other children in the family, you figure out how to find that one on one time with your Dad. Plus I liked to get up early then too. He taught us the beauty of silence when in nature and I remember that morning well. He and I enjoying our hot beverages, quiet, just watching the sun rise over the next mountain range.
This morning I wanted to catch the sunrise on the winter solstice. It is a rare sunny day here in SE Alaska. I didn’t have to get up early as much as I had to be patient to catch it. The weather report said the sun was rising at 8:57 AM – so no need to get up early to catch this sunrise. But it didn’t pop over the mountains until 9:37 AM. I felt so especially blessed to be able to see this, grateful for inheriting my father’s love of nature and sunrises.
I found my way to SE Alaska over fifteen years ago. My father’s love of travel, adventure, and nature very much in my soul as well helped me find my way here. My children graduated from high school in this wonderful small town and it’s become my home – far from the large suburban town where I grew up in Connecticut. It’s been a balm for my grieving heart being here now amongst so many close friends that have become my family over the years. I don’t get to be here as often as I would like with running Cheetah Learning, which makes it even more special I got to be here this morning to see this sunrise.
I’m ending the daily Share the Love blog posts – the holidays are here and I am focusing my time and attention on my family for the next couple of weeks. Thanks for reading and sharing the love with me.
“The first thing my boss said when I told him I was interested in getting my PMP certification was that if I was going to do it, he’d heard Cheetah Learning was the best.”