A Sunset in Elko

Christopher, M

Tonia, P

ENGL 2130

2/2/2020

A Recollection of Nature: A Sunset in Elko

It is possible that I remember this night mainly because it was the last night I was going to see a dear friend of mine for possibly forever. Nature seems to be enhanced when our emotions and feelings are added to the mix. Not to say that the sunset that night was not the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen, but my sorrow certainly enhanced the beauty of the sun before me. A couple of things to remember about Elko, Nevada. The city is filled mostly with people in the mining industry and when driving into the city it feels like being in a small valley. You might notice that there are not many trees and it looks like a desert in a classic Cowboys and Indians show. The town is very small, was warm in this season, and backed up to some hilly mountains where I was staying with my friend.

When we arrived at her house it was a couple of hours till dark and we had nothing to do, but watch television. I went outside to play with the dogs, and she was inside getting settled. It was the first time she had been back to her parent’s house in two or three years. She came outside and asked if I wanted to go watch the sunset and I obviously said yes, because my favorite view in nature is when the sun sets. So, we hiked up this small hilly mountain and watched the sun set and looked around on the ground for the bones of some animals. The only logical explanation I have for doing this is that we had both wondered if we could find some big skull of an animal like in the movies. She had been as curious as I ha even though she had lived there as a child and probably had done this before.

Time was not something we were worried about in the moment, but it sat dragging in the back of my mind. As we searched for some type of animal skull and were in awe of the big orange ball in the sky it felt like time had no limit on us. It was warm in the beginning slowly getting colder and dimmer as the sun disappeared. We stayed out in the dark a little longer to look for the bones and because we both enjoyed each other’s company. We started heading back to the house out of fear and wonder of any snakes that might be watching us. As we were heading back all I could think about was that this was an ending to a life-changing era in my life. I had just finished two schools in ministry and a long and amazing outreach to Asia. I was not ready to move on, but God was shifting something new in me and teaching me that the sun needs to set.

Emotions already affect my life deeply. I am one hundred percent a feeler and a sensitive person, so this was hard for me to hear. Just as the sun was setting so was my season of ministry in the West coming to an end.  In the Psalms, it says that the sun knows its time for setting. God was showing me something similar. Leaving my friend behind in Nevada was not the most difficult part of this journey. For some reason, all I could think about on my next drive was that I would not get to see the sunset in that way ever again.