I'm really not trying to be flippant or irreverant here. Really.

This evening, we were treated to yet another gorgeous sunset. I ran outside to snap some pics, as I usually do. I was struck by the vertical beam of orange which seemed to extend straight upwards from the descending sun. As I came back inside, I was mulling over an appropriate yet catchy blog title to go with the pics I had captured:




"Stairway to Heaven" came to mind.

And then .. and then .. as I was going through each picture to choose which ones to put online .. I came across these ones:





These picture are cropped, but not altered in any other way. Is it just me, or can an Angel be seen above the sun?

Here's a more closely cropped view:



Although I no longer practice the faith, I was raised in the Catholic Church. The stories of Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Medjugorje filled my young imagination. The sceptical agnostic in me sees a beautiful sunset and an interesting refraction of light. The Catholic in me sees Our Lady, and hopes that she hasn't given up on us yet.

And now, my imagination wanders again ...