...the chapel of pumpkins...

I’d rather be in the mountains thinking of God,

than in church thinking about the mountains.

~ John Muir

When I tell others that I have a 6-hour daily commute, it is usually a response to an inquiry. I don’t often offer up information that makes me sound nuts; but, when asked, I explain that it’s a lifestyle choice just in the same way as having kids or working the night shift is for others. When I’m feeling particularly snarky, I follow-up to their OHMYGAWDs by asking, “How many sunrises have you watched?” Over the last decade, I have experienced hundreds. I chose my verb carefully too. I haven’t merely seen but been a participant in observing the sun. I know that right now during my commute is one of the best times to see the sun rise. With Daylight Savings Time, the schedule will be switched and I’ll lose the small window of time where I see the most beautiful oranges and reds. 

The mornings are now dark. I watch the sunrise over the Potomac River. The evenings are getting darker as the days grow shorter. My commute will soon include sunsets, and later it will include darkness from start to finish. This is the cycle of the academic year.

Yesterday I saw the pumpkins. These are no ordinary pumpkins but the annual pumpkin patch at the church on the hill near Brooke Station just south of Quantico. I have often written about the scenery from my commute including wildlife to sunrises and sunsets; yet, annually I look forward to nothing more than the hundreds of bright orange pumpkins lying in the green grass of the white church. There is something so quaint and inviting about the entire view.

From the website of Andrew Chapel United Methodist:

“Andrew Chapel has long been the little lighthouse on the hill.  Every passenger riding a train along the east coast sees the beautiful steeple, shining through the night…”

I see this chapel often but in fall, especially when they have hundreds of pumpkins gracing their lawn, I make a point to focus. Sometimes I offer up a small prayer of gratitude for such beauty. Yesterday, I snapped some pictures. 

In 2007, I even wrote a Haiku upon viewing the church.

Sunbeams wrap around the church

A heavenly sight.

This morning's inspiration.