Awe and Wonder

Psalm 136:9
He made the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love will last forever.

Our granddaughter, Virginia Rose, is fascinated by astronomy.  Over the Christmas break, I take her to the Tellus Science Museum in nearby Cartersville, where they offer, among other alluring exhibits, hourly planetarium shows.  Right away, when I pay for our tickets, I also include the price for two back-to-back viewings of the heavens; different shows and unique perspectives.  Needless to say, Virginia pays rapt attention, and revels in every moment.  I must say, "Santa" spent his money well!

While we are at the museum, we see advertisements for the upcoming lunar eclipse, guaranteed, as long as skies are clear, to be a momentous occasion for those of us living on the eastern seaboard.  Virginia is thrilled when she reads the announcement.  "Look, Gammie, a lunar eclipse is coming!  What's a lunar eclipse?"

"It's when the moon passes through the earth's shadow," I answer.

"Can I look at it without going blind?"  Virginia is recalling the alarming warnings surrounding the recent solar eclipse we experience.

"Yes, it's completely safe to look at," I reassure her.  "However, if it's going to happen very late at night, you might not be able to see it."

"But I want to see it!  Please, Gammie, tell Mommy and Daddy to let me stay up!"

"I'll do my best," I say with a smile.

Little do I know at the time, that the very weekend of the eclipse, we would have Virginia staying with us.  She is as adamant as ever about viewing this unique "blood moon" occurrence.  But here's the rub:  the event doesn't begin until 11:44 Sunday night.  Way past her bedtime, and mine!  Conveniently, she doesn't have school on Monday, thanks to the Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday, so we decide to indulge in what could be a once in a lifetime experience.

Virginia dozes fitfully from bedtime until "moon call."  Her sheer excitement will not allow sleep to overcome her completely.  And when that wake-up call comes, she jumps up, ready and raring to go!

Guess who can't rouse up?  Me!  I choose to snooze and lose.  But Papa, who has stayed up until the very hour, and Virginia's Uncle Daniel, save the day.  They bundle her up as the temps are in the frigid 20s, and out they tromp to our deck where Danny manages to get these amazing photos despite having to point the camera with its weighty lens straight up to get the shots.

Breathtaking!

And Virginia is full of awe and wonder.  The lunar eclipse only bolsters her obsession with the heavens that God has so masterfully created.  She is beside herself, bringing up the subject of her midnight adventure repeatedly throughout the next day, with a smile in her eyes as bright as the sun itself.

My prayer is that Virginia will always be passionate about the night skies, longing to learn more and more about God's infinite creation.  To be amazed by the miracles both in heaven and on earth.

To ultimately know, deep within her heart, that as small as she might feel in light of God's limitless universe, her Father knows her intimately in every aspect of her being and becoming.

And to rest assured that His steadfast love for her will last forever.

Amen!