"Flickers of Hope" - (golden hour photography @juliank)

This was a lucky shot taken using my smartphone while I'm inside a moving car.

I remember that day so vividly in my mind. My family and I were going home from a visit to my grandmother's house. I gazed through the window and noticed that the sun was setting so I decided to pull out my smartphone and take a photo of it. Sunsets were my favorite. I find beauty and solitude in the setting of the sun, it almost made me feel nostalgic.

It was mother's day then; May 8, 2016. We were meeting our other relatives for dinner at one of the local restaurants. When we arrived, my mom crossed the street, a tricycle driver suddenly drove past her and was hit by the vehicle. I was on the other side of the road when I heard someone scream and fell hard on the concrete. When I turned around, I saw my mom on the ground, bleeding. I was in shock. The driver was in shock. My dad was in shock. I rushed to her side and cried for help. my dad immediately carried her to the car and rushed her to the nearest hospital. Thankfully, the hospital was just 3-5 mins away from the place of incident. I was crying inside the car. I thought of all the horrible things that could happen to her. I was grateful to all the doctors and nurses who attended to her during her hospitalization.

My mom's sister and I were waiting outside the operating room while my mom was in surgery. We were both apprehensive. We were praying hard for the success of the operation. While I was waiting, I browsed my phone for photos and came across this photo taken on the day of the accident. I looked at it and it was as if God was showing me the photo to remind me that there is always hope as long as you believe in Him, that He makes all things wonderful in His time. Indeed, my mom came out from a successful operation and she was discharged from the hospital shortly after.

Maybe that is why I love sunsets so much. They are my flickers of hope.