I have always loved nature, how she can be so consistent, seasons changing dependably, flowers blooming every spring, leaves turning shades of amber and orange each Fall, beautiful thunder storms cropping up in the heat of midsummer. But every now and then, she gives us something special. Sometimes those special things are frightening, like tornadoes or hurricanes. Other times those special events are wonderous, mysterious, like the summer the Halle Bopp comet hung out each evening for weeks over the lake. We spent many a summer night down on our dock just staring into the sky. Sometimes we were silent, other times we talked about how the comet was moving, changing as the days went along. I think our telescope found a semi permanent spot on the deck that summer. Last evening was another special gift, of a Lunar Eclipse. Luckily we had a gorgeous view from our house. The night was cold, and mostly clear. Every now and then the clouds blew over but it never really blocked our view of the earth casting her shadow across the bright moon. From start to finish, the entire eclipse took just a little over an hour. I ran in and out of the house to gaze upwards to the heavens, and back inside when I got too cold. It was fascinating. I've always been a star gazer, as far back as I can remember, lying in the large yard of my childhood home, sometimes until late in the evening when my daddy would call me inside to get ready for bed. I love the night sky, especially when it is full with stars, and they appear to hang low in the sky. I still find myself lying in the yard some nights, gazing upwards. So I was excited, happily anticipating all day long yesterday for the evening's big event. And, I was not disappointed. My favorite part was when the moon was fully eclipsed. It wasn't blacked out as one might expect, but instead it had a pinkish orange glow about it. And as the earth's shadow began to move away, the glow, only for a brief time, intensified. It was amazing. I love it when God sends us little wonders such as this. Its like He says, "Let me show you something really cool." Just when you think there's always order in the universe, we get a nice little surprise.
