Monday, December 15, 2008

My Magical Moon Gift

Thursday night I got the duty of picking Walker up after work. It had been kind of rainy and really frigid for several days, but the air was crisp and clean again.

Just as I pulled out of my driveway, I noticed a sight I’ve never seen before, a halo around the moon. The neighbor across the street had just turned on her Christmas lights, and there were no apparent stars in the sky, just this amazing moon with what looked like a rainbow around it and the lights from her tree and wreaths. It was one of the loveliest vignettes ever. A beautiful gift, free for the enjoying.

At first, I thought what I was seeing had something to do with the car windshield, but as I turned south, I looked out of the driver’s side window, and it was still there. There was no traffic, so I pulled over and rolled down my window to make sure what I saw was real. It definitely was. By the time we got back home, the halo had kind of faded, but when I pointed it out to Walker he definitely saw it too. “Angelic,” he commented. It was.


Walker jumped right into a conversation of how my mother and Daddy and Walker’s parents will celebrate their birthdays in heaven this month. It seems to be really important to him to know that things he loves will be in the afterlife. I wonder if his guardian angel on e-bay will be able to find the things he wants for a reasonable price. Will she have a Pay Pal account? Will it withdraw from my account? Oh well, they’ll work it out, I’ m sure.

I sent a quick note to some of my neighbors not to miss it, called my husband to see if the same effect was being seen in Alabama, but my delight in the sight was blunted by the fact that I didn’t really have anyone else to share my excitement. Then last night John and Becket came by with their parents, and phenomena reappeared. All are nature geeks to a greater or lesser degree. They at least pretended some excitement, but probably tuned out my lecture about how the ice crystals make the moon look that way. They lingered long enough to admire before we settled down to Chrismas cookies and a little wrapping on the side. I was delighted to have someone to share and appreciate and pass on the word.

My best friend Google led me to several sites with photos of a moon halo for further information. None of them did justice to the one I saw, which showed more prism like colors on the outer edges, but here’s a link to one that’s close. Check it out.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081207.html
Maybe you’ll see an angelic moon someday. I hope so.

Blessings,
Janie

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