Above the clouds

I've been looking forward to this week in August for months. Each year the earth passes through the particles of the tail of the comet Swift- Tuttle. The particles burn up in the earth's atmosphere and once again, create the Perseid meteor shower.
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower

Last year I forgot but my son-in-law and his father were up late and watched from my porch. This year would be different. I set my alarm for 2am and went out expecting this.....

http://news.yahoo.com/perseid-meteor-shower-peaks-weekend-watch-online-tonight-153217562.html

I got nothing.

My neighbor had his yard light on and it cast enough light to create shadows from my trees. His light isn't usually that bright but last night any and all light reflected off the low cloud cover. It has been a cloudy, humid, lush summer in our normally arid Black Hills.  Lovely flowers, lousy stargazing.


I stood for a moment, saw nothing but a few stars peeking behind cloud cover and went back to bed. This morning the sunrise looked like this- a hazy sun under more clouds.

The morning fog hasn't burned off yet and given our cool temps, it's rarely more than 80 degrees.....
it may just be a another weird cloudy day.

When I went online to find a picture of the Perseid, I learned that the week leading up to the peak is also a great time to star gaze. There have been much clearer nights this week.  It takes up to 20 minutes to adjust to the light of the night sky- I gave it about two minutes.  There are lulls between the bursts of meteor activity. Maybe it was just one of those quiet times when I chose to step onto my porch.  These would have been helpful tips had I searched earlier, before my quick peek.

I knew the meteors were up there above the clouds. The earth has been passing through this comet tail for at least 2000 years.  Other people were showing proof of the show.  But my quick scan was fruitless.


It isn't just meteor showers and stars we gaze upward for.  How many times have we looked for answers to our questions and found nothing? Sure other people seem to have adequate "proof" that they found God or comfort or peace but it sure didn't work for us.  It's easy to read about an event and assume your experience will mirror others but often it doesn't. Or read a self-help book and assume a quick scan will get the results we seek. There may are lights or shadows in your environment obscuring your view, or  baggage and wounds in your heart clouding your vision of yourself.   Perhaps you stepped into the uneasiness of your questions and quickly retreated to the warmth of your comfort zone, the way I returned to my bed in the middle of the night.   Perhaps, like me, you read the directions after the fact.  Is it too late to try again?

Tonight is another chance and I have a plan. I'll get up and drive about ten minutes to the darkest place I know, with some hot tea in a thermos and shoes on my feet this time. I'll put a lawn chair and some blankets in my car. And I'll give this whole thing some time. And maybe I'll still miss the show- I can't control the weather!

But I know the meteors are up there. I know the particles are burning up and flaming across the late night sky. I can trust the evidence others produce and rest assured in that truth, until my perseverance pays off and I see the show, too.


In the same way, I can bring my questions up again and again and trust that in good time, the Maker of Heaven and Earth will reveal Truth in my searching.  Meanwhile, I'll try to be faithful to what I know right now, right here - under the clouds.