This is the sunrise we were hoping for on Dec. 31, but it wasn't. There was a sunrise on the 31st, but it was not visible behind a thick bank of clouds as viewed looking toward Monhegan from Ocean Point.

Why is this significant, you might ask. Well, Dec. 31 was our daughter Morgan's 30th birthday, and one of the things she has always liked to do on her birthday is to see the sunrise.

At least this time of year the sun rises, when it appears, at a more reasonable hour, 7:12. More reasonable for me, that is! For Morgan and her husband Andrei, a sunrise at any time of the year is very special. For us, the olds, 4:30 or 5 a.m. is pushing things a bit. Don't get me wrong, sunrises are wonderful. It’s just that I don't do 5 a.m. well anymore. I know I should try harder, but as I age, the warm bed is a deterrent.

Morgan shares her New Year's Eve birthday with longtime dear friend Tom Evans. Tom has left us now, but for all his life he came to Maine and his family cottage on Southport. Also, for every year since he learned that he and Morgan shared the same birthday, he sent a small watercolor with a Santa and reindeer theme. We have kept them all.

New Year's Eve is one of those tricky birthdays. Everybody is doing something and many friends have made plans. We have always tried to be creative, but it is a challenging event. Thus, I think, Morgan's insistence upon a unique sunrise to start off her day.

So, responsible dad that I try to be, I popped over to Ocean Point on Jan. 1 to try and capture the sunrise that didn't happen on Morgan's birthday. And the result is the photo I have shared this week. The shoreline was quite peopled. I couldn't figure out why so many would be out with cameras and dogs. When I got home and mentioned it to the family, everyone reminded me that it was the first sunrise of the new year. Duh! Believe it or not, that did not occur to me. Why wouldn't there be people out looking for something good and beautiful after our challenging 2020 year? Duh again!

Happy birthday to Morgan and to all of us who are hoping for a better year. The sunrise certainly was a good start. Best wishes everyone for many beautiful sunrises and sunny days ahead. May 2021 be kinder, please.