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Sunset Lady
Jacqueline Hayworth, a customer service representative for Palmetto Electric Cooperative, is the Sunset Lady to her Facebook followers, thanks to her beautiful Hilton Head Island sunset photos. Hayworth says, “The time that I'm out there with the sunset, that's my kind of prayer time, too, to say what I'm thankful for each day.”
Photo by Jim Hayworth
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This photo, taken September 17 at Mitchellville Beach, received 2,459 likes, close to 600 shares and 75 comments the day after an admirer shared it on the South Carolina Living page on Facebook.
Photo by Jacqueline Hayworth
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Super Moon
Photo by Jacqueline Hayworth
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Photo by Jacqueline Hayworth
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Photo by Jacqueline Hayworth
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Photo by Jacqueline Hayworth
Every day is Thanksgiving for Jacqueline Hayworth.
Back in 2008, a severe bacterial infection in her lungs almost spelled “sunset” for Hayworth, a customer service representative at Palmetto Electric’s Hilton Head Island office.
Her doctors were stumped. “I was lying there, basically smothering to death. Nobody knew what to do,” Hayworth says. “They called all my family in.”
Fortunately, one doctor had seen similar cases after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Hayworth had an emergency major lung operation and was hospitalized for 14 days. Her life saved, Hayworth recuperated at home for two months -- and experienced an awakening.
“After that I had a brighter outlook on life,” she says. “I was like, 'Wow! Did you see how beautiful that flower is? Did you see that sunrise? It just opens your eyes when you're on the other side of the grass for a little bit longer!”
She dedicated herself to capturing those elusive moments. “I love photography anyway so I just started taking sunsets. I would just go somewhere on the island every day and take a photo.”
Sharing her passion on Facebook gained Hayworth over 1,100 friends and followers. She’s the Sunset Lady to many or, as one lady calls her, the Sunset Princess.
She earned more followers September 17, when her image of a Mitchellville Beach sunset was shared on South Carolina Living’s Facebook page. It earned almost 2,500 likes.
While she has Facebook fans as far away as Israel, Hayworth also shares her stop-and-savor-the-scenery message in person. Back in June, while on the beach at sunset, she overheard some island visitors talking about heading in for dinner. “Stick around!” she advised. “In a minute the Super Moon is going to rise!” They did and, awestruck by the sight, left thanking her profusely for the tip.
For Hayworth, giving thanks is a daily ritual: "The time that I'm out there with the sunset, that's my prayer time, too, to say what I'm thankful for each day."