Last night one of the most interesting solar events took place. It was a lunar eclipse, which in and of itself is not that unusual, but becomes more unusual when you realize that it fell on the winter solstice. The last time that happened was hundreds of years ago, say 372 years to be exact and will not happen again till 2094. I am pretty sure I will not be here in the flesh at that time so……
At 3 AM I was awakened to go out in the cold and observe. Though I stayed only for a few minutes, the photo I have featured here is what I saw. (I did not take this photo) It was amazing and inspiring. I would have liked to have stayed up to watch the entire event, as the sky was clear and the stars bright, but it was not happening that morning. (There are many mornings that 3:30 is my wake up time)
Observing the solar system in this manner, or nature in general, has always inspired me to think about how small we are in comparison, to wonder at the magnificent universe, and to appreciate life and all we have been asked to care for on this small planet. During this time of the year when in our hemisphere things are more dormant, we can still appreciate our solar system and our responsibility to care for the planet, the environment, animals and each other.
We have turned a corner at this time, with the days once again getting longer and soon getting warm again. Soon we will see the return of green plant life and the freshness of the trees. But for now I believe we should use our time to help those that we can to survive the long cold nights who may not have as much as we do. We can care for the birds who give us so much joy in the spring and summer. This is a time to appreciate everything that we have and enjoy, especially those who are our family and friends.