When I came out of Kroger Friday night, the sun had just set and the afterglow continued for about as long as it took me to move groceries from the cart to the car trunk. By the time I made the 3 mile trek from Lakeland Dr. to Spillway Rd, the light dimmed to almost dark.
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As I approached the left turn leading to our condo, I caught sight of the upper edge of the most magnificent moon I've seen in a long time. It was huge and golden. The harvest moon? The hunter moon? A half minute later, I parked my car by the swimming pool and walked out on the pier to watch the moonrise. It was breathtaking. The wind coming off the lake was also cold, so I only stayed for a couple of minutes after the whole moon came into view.
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Before leaving, I looked around to see if any of my neighbors were watching the same spectacle. If they were, I didn't see them. I felt almost guilty, it didn't seem right, enjoying this beautiful sight all by myself. For those of you who happened to be in the right place at the right time, you know we were blessed to observe beauty that most people missed. The Psalmist said:
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When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Ps 8:3,4 TNIV)
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O heavenly Father, who hast filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works; that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve thee with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP)
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(Today's confession: I did not make the picture I used here but lifted it from this sight. It looked more like what I saw than any of the others I found with Google.)