Dawn On the Beach

An old man walks along a deserted beach in the pre-dawn darkness. The is no wind and he can hear small waves lap onto the sand. He stops, turns eastward, and gazes out into the blackness. At the same time, 93,000,000 miles away, trillions of photons of light are born in a fiery sun, and are propelled through the void of space at an unimaginable speed of 186,000 miles per second. They race past planets, moons, asteroids, man-made satellites and space debris to rendezvous with the earth and the waiting old man who stands there waiting in anticipation, and sees nothing but blackness punctuated with dimly lit, fading stars. Then, as the earth slowly turns he perceives a faint brightness creeping over the edge of night, revealing itself where the sea meeting the sky. With time, the sky gradually transforms from black to a faint dull gray. As more photons pour in, the dull grey turns to a dim orange, and then orange and finally yellow. The color grows in brightness and intensity as more and more of the becomes visible. The process is irreversible. The darkness is in inevitable retreat, and a vibrant world of color comes alive. As he has done many times before, the old man stares at the wonder unfolding before him. The brightness and the colors awake his senses and stir his consciousness. He closes his eyes and allows the glow to bombard his face and body. He feels its gentle warmth and its promise of a new beginning. He mutters a quiet prayer, and thanks God for the gift of a new start and... another chance to get it right.