Between Corpus Christi and Kingsville: A Glimpse of Eternity

The Chapman Ranch at sunset (Credit: Matt Pierce)

The Texas sky has a way of commanding your attention, even when you think you’re too busy to notice. Between Corpus Christi and Kingsville, near Chapman Ranch, I found myself pulled into its embrace once again. I took a photo—just one—but somehow it holds more than I could ever say in words.

This stretch of land is pure Texas. The horizon rolls out endlessly, blending earth and sky into a quiet conversation only nature understands. Fences cut through fields, their posts leaning slightly as if bowing to the winds that have shaped them over decades. The land here feels alive, ancient even, whispering stories of resilience and time’s unyielding march.

In the frame I captured, the sunlight was doing that magical thing it does at the edge of the day—spilling gold across the landscape, painting shadows long and soft. The clouds, thick and weighty, parted just enough to let the light break through. It’s the kind of light that doesn’t just illuminate; it transforms. It turns the mundane into the miraculous, the ordinary into the extraordinary.

I couldn’t help but feel small yet significant. Isn’t that the paradox of moments like these? You stand there, surrounded by infinite space, and for a fleeting second, you’re everything and nothing all at once. It’s humbling. It’s grounding. It’s beautiful.

Chapman Ranch isn’t flashy. It’s not one of those places people flock to for Instagram-perfect shots or bucket-list experiences. But that’s what makes it special. It’s quiet, unassuming, and raw—the kind of place that doesn’t demand your attention but deserves it all the same.

This photo reminds me of how life moves in seasons. There are the bright, golden moments when everything feels possible and light seems to radiate from within. Then there are the overcast stretches, where shadows loom and the way forward seems uncertain. But even in those moments, light finds a way through the cracks. It’s always there, waiting to transform the landscape—and maybe even your heart—if you’ll let it.

As I stood there, camera in hand, I thought about the people who’ve walked this land before me. Ranchers, dreamers, families just trying to make it. How many have looked up at this same sky and felt the same awe? How many have leaned on its beauty to find the strength to keep going?

That’s what this photo is to me: a testament to perseverance, to finding light in the quiet spaces. It’s a reminder that even the most unassuming places can hold boundless beauty, that sometimes you just have to stop and let yourself see it.

So here’s to the stretch of land near Chapman Ranch, to the Texas sky, and to all the places that remind us who we are and who we can be. May we never be too busy to notice.