Early this morning, we made our way around the familiar curves on the way home from the Naples airport. The only hard part of having family visit is that eventually the time comes when we have to haul the suitcases back up the stairs—invariably at an unreasonable hour of the morning—and make the trip over the Chiunzi pass to the airport. Rounding a gentle curve not far from Tramonti on the way home we were greeted with a golden glow across the mountains. I stopped short in the middle of a sentence, completely forgetting what I was saying. The car was silent for a few minutes as we took in the warm light of the sunrise above Ravello.

After a few more curves, I couldn’t stand it anymore. “Stop the car, please. I have to take some photos.” In the distance the Cilento coastline stretched all the way to the Punta Licosa, and the sunshine shone brightly like a flashlight beam across the Bay of Salerno.

Down below Ravello, the first rays of light were arriving in Minori. Around town people were waking up and heading to work or school, and I wondered how many were aware of the beautiful sunrise starting the day.

There must have been a bit of magic in the sunrise this morning. It soothed that heaviness in me that comes from saying goodbye, and helped bring a smile to my face. Like sunrises and sunsets, life is about hellos and goodbyes. They color our lives and fill them with warmth and happiness. I was filled with gratitude for the early morning drive that made us happen across this beautiful sunrise, just as I’m grateful for every moment I have with my family and friends.