A Fascinating Sky

During the 2020 lockdowns, two of my daughters and I spent a lot of time outside on our deck. I remember those first two weeks were very quiet in our neighborhood. No one was driving anywhere. It was a strange time for sure and the quietness reminded me of the three days after the bombing of the Twin Towers when the sky was traveled only by birds and bugs and clouds because all aircraft was grounded.

But the first two weeks of lockdown (before things began to not make rational sense) were really good for me. That’s when I did a lot more sky-gazing. I fell in love with the wind, and with every beautiful change in the sky, I dreamed a little deeper.

This year’s sky has been exciting with the eclipse in April, brilliant full moons, and last night with the Aurora. This Aurora was very unique in that it could be visible as far south as Alabama, depending on weather conditions. I was talking to my coworker about it early in the day but then forgot about it until my daughter-in-law texted me a little after 11:00 last night. She excitedly sent me these two pictures taken by my son, Jet.

What is even more unique is that you can barely see this with the naked eye but your camera sees it all. Jet noticed the sky looked a little different from his bedroom window. He had forgotten about the Aurora as well until then. So he started taking pictures. His camera picked up what his eyes could not. After seeing his pictures, I got dressed and went outside.

My sky was dark. I took pictures anyway and tried to look at them while outside. Nothing. I couldn’t see anything but darkness. Nothing extraordinary like Jet’s. When I went back to bed, I looked again at the pictures I took…and, wow…absolutely amazing.

I must have caught the tail end of the Aurora. Although, not as vibrant as Jet’s, the sky was still very beautiful. I went out again a few minutes later and took this last picture. It is the same view as the first picture I took above.

I’m not sure but I think we might be able to see it again tonight if I understood correctly. I will try earlier and maybe drive to an open field to a larger sky.

The sky amazes me with all its complexities and beauty. God was so gracious to give us such wonderful gifts in nature, not only for pleasure but for pure, unadulterated entertainment. In a world that’s not always so kind, every piece of his creation becomes more valued and treasured to me. Like the ever-changing sky, the complexity of pond life, the variety of birds with their unique songs of love, and the beautiful animal life found in and around the thick of a woods.

Simply put, God is so good to us. Sometimes we just don’t appreciate him enough.

♥️

Andi