I was 17 years old. Along with a dozen other boys I had made a long
trip to Iowa in order to see a college that I was thinking of attending.
While the trip had been fun for the most part, now that I was there I was
feeling depressed, alone, and isolated. I was missing my family and was
realizing that I wouldn’t be seeing them very much if I went to school here.
I was also missing the Appalachian mountains of my home. I loved walking in
their forests of Maple, Oak, Beech, Birch, and Hickory trees. I loved how
the leaves turned a thousand shades of green in the Spring and then became
an sea of red, gold, and orange in the Fall. I loved the smell of the Clover
and
countless wild flowers that grew in our meadows. These things were a
part of me.
Here in Iowa everything was flat. The grass looked burnt and brown.
All that I could smell was a mixture of corn, mud, and pigs. I walked
outside the dormitory of the college and sat on an old stump. I closed my
eyes and dreamed of being back home again. When I finally opened them,
however, I saw something that touched my soul. It was a Prairie Sunset. It
seemed to fill the sky from horizon to horizon. Gold, red, purple and pink
clouds all flowed together in a picture painted by Heaven’s own hand. It was
so huge that it took my breath away. It made our mountain sunsets seem tiny
by comparison. I was filled with wonder and felt a special Oneness with God.
I realized too that I had been foolish and judgmental. This place too had
its own special beauty. This place too was a part of God’s Creation.
Over the years to come I learned something else. Each of us has a
special beauty as well. Each of us has our own unique talents and abilities.
Each of us has a beautiful, powerful love that only we can share. And God
wants us to share it. May you always do so then. May your life always shine
bright. And may your love glow from your soul like a sunset on the Prairie.
Joseph J. Mazzella
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.