|
I meditate on your name all night, God,
treasuring your revelation, O God.
Psalm 119:55 (The Message)
Whenever I have trouble sleeping, I get up for a while before returning to bed. One of the first things I always do after getting up is to go out on our balcony to greet the night (or the day). Is the moon visible? If it is visible I name it—waxing crescent, full moon, waning gibbous, etc. I notice any planets that are shining in my night sky and also the stars and the clouds. I notice the temperature and the wind—am I hot, warm, cool, cold? Because I’m invariably barefoot, my feet on the concrete balcony are almost always cold!
Then I may come back in and sit in my blue chair to write or read or play Wordle for a few minutes . . . or a few hours. Before heading back to bed . . . or starting my daily routine I return to the balcony at least one more time. What has changed since I first greeted the night? What is the same? If there is a foreglow, if morning is breaking I usually pull out my phone and take a picture of the skyscape.
My relationship with the sky helps me to remember that God is God and I am not. The sky is so large and I am so small! Spending time with the sky helps me to remember that all of God’s creation is to be celebrated—the most colorful sunrise and the dreariest skyscape on a rainy morning. I may give words to what I notice or I may simply abide in the moment. Abiding in the moment is a great Advent practice.
Tomorrow night is the longest night of the year. Will you notice it? Will you celebrate it? Will you photograph it?
Here are two photos from the last 9 months—a foreglow from February and a moonrise from June.
| 
