On Wednesday evening Sid and I watched the Perseids meteor shower. This particular display is one which comes with a great deal of anticipation each year for it can be spectacular to watch in our area. I have to admit I’ve never paid much attention to it for its “peak” display typically occurs in the middle of the night or predawn and I prioritize a good night’s sleep. That was true until this year.

Friends of ours were encouraging us to give it a try, especially since the display was to start at 10 PM (though predicted to be magnificent between 2 and 4 AM) and the moon was new so it would be an exceptionally dark sky. As last evening wore on and I wasn’t too sleepy at 10 we decided we’d check it out.

Sid is such a trooper, shlepping the lawn chairs (recliners!) to just the right spot, which it was, for we were in utter darkness with an unobstructed view of the sky over the open ocean. I had read that the best preparation was to let your eyes acclimate for 20-30 minutes. What I didn’t expect was what I then saw . . .

To those of you who are star gazer aficionados, you know what I’m about to say. It is that one cannot explain what the night sky looks like when your eyes have adjusted as directed. The usually visible stars and planets are hardly noticeable amidst the uncountable stars, truly massive in number, overwhelmingly so breathtaking in beauty and mass numbers.

If no meteor had appeared I was spellbound at the grandeur. How completely in awe I became of our Creator’s master work in creating our solar system. I had no idea the naked eye could see so many lights that are just there, being, serving their purposes, part of this created miracle we call our universe.

Then, as if from a sci-fi movie, a HUGE green meteor went from as far as we could see to the left to as far as we could see to the right! It didn’t seem real but it was. Neither of us had ever seen anything like it, as Sid said sarcastically, well worth the price of admission!

Dayenu! We both felt that would have been enough yet we stargazed another hour past midnight (thank you, Sid). Although we saw occasional glimpses of that distant star filled utopia, unfortunately the cloud cover became dense hiding the artistry of the twinkling night sky canvas beyond our view. As we packed up our chairs and returned home I committed to immerse in this other worldly experience again next year !

The amazing point is this state of being is not other worldly. This is blessings from the heavens here and now. We can become so preoccupied with our everyday doings that we can lose sight of His being, not just with us but also providing the heavens around us in our world, literally heaven on earth. In this case it took some effort to even know it’s here! Yet every day and night all we have to do is look out the window or step outside, anytime, rain or shine, to be thankful for such indescribable blessed surroundings. All of this He gives to us and most of the time we take it for granted.

For me, literally seeing His heavens from earth, and on earth, was a wakeup call (that literally too!) to double down on thankfulness. No big house necessary. Just give me a place from which to admire His works which demonstrate His incredible love for us, a love that He provides in our every moment.

My mouth once again speaks its repetitive

“Thank you, God”.

Shabbat shalom.

Diane