We had arrived in Florence, AL, the previous evening for a weekend event, and had spent the night in a hotel room beside the highway. We woke up early (considering the local time) because of the difference in longitude between the place we were visiting and our home (which we had departed the previous morning). We had traveled in a south westerly direction the previous day. I raised the shades covering the window pane just to take a look outside. This is what I saw. 
The sky was an optimal mix of purple and orange and shades in-between, with the clouds at different locations in the sky passing through different frequencies of the color spectrum. I quickly pulled up a pair of pants, grabbed my camera, and dashed out of the front door of the hotel to get another view that would hopefully not be blocked by something in front of me. By the time I got to a clear location, the moment was gone. This was what I saw.
Consider the different elements that came together for me to have this experience. First of all, I had to open up the shades of the window at the proper moment in time when the sun was at the position that it was in relative to that location on the planet. Secondly, the window to the room that we were staying in had to be facing east so that I would indeed see the event. (Being on the third floor of the hotel also helped.) Thirdly, the cloud formation had to be right for me to get a glimpse of all those colors. I would probably have not enjoyed this experience if any one of the three elements had been out of place.
Some may be tempted to invoke divine intervention as the cause for the circumstances of this experience. But if this had indeed been a set up, I would consider it a partial screw-up – at the moment when the sunrise was at its best, I could only view it through the branches of a tree, and by the time I got to a location where I could get a better view, that moment was over. But perhaps the screw-up was also purposeful, eh?! We can go on and on…
Best to take it as it comes and try to be prepared for the unexpected experiences, both good and bad.
Splattered Brains 