Total Lunar Eclipse

Last night at 4:50 a.m., while most were sleeping, the moon was being totally eclipsed. My former husband called me to let me know it was happening (he knows that I rarely listen to the news) so that I could share it with our girls if I was interested. I chose to make it a special time between myself and my nine year old daughter as my six year old needed more sleep (so I believed) before school, and my nine year old deserved some one on one as it has been hard to come by lately.

I snuck into her room at 4:45 a.m., woke her up, and told her I wanted to show her something. I suggested she grab her bathrobe or blanket and come with me. Mystified, she followed me upstairs to the back deck where we sat snuggled together on our loveseat rocker watching the event. It was a beautiful evening. Bright with the full moon, mild temperatures, though a few clouds. I was initially disappointed in the cloudiness, thinking we may not get to observe the changes, but I prayed that God would bless us.

And what a blessing it was! We spent forty minutes together, watching the sky, talking about the clouds, and noticing how the moonbeams crept out from behind the clouds. It was beautiful and, as always with Creation, amazing. She had never noticed the beams of light before - and not even considered them possible from the moon. Even more fun, the moon was "erased" in an unusual pattern ~ being shadowed from top to bottom. It kind of reminded me of a pacman guy going uphill (for those who remember pac man). We had been talking about the rays of the moon's brilliance sneaking out from behind the clouds in an upward pattern when the eclipse began. Though we didn't fully witness the start we noticed the rays begin to disappear from above the clouds. It was a wonderful opportunity for dialogue about the beauty and majesty of God's gift of creation.

What a blessed morning. Thank you, Steve, for calling me to let me know...and Thank you, Lord, for the fun and interesting moments You have chosen to share with us ~ You who hung the stars and the moon ~ and set the sun on its course ~ none can fathom. Bless You.