Magical Moment 319, "The Grimes Solstice"

I took an astronomy course my freshman year of college because I heard it was an easy "A." Though I haven't retained much from the class, I do know this. The universe is far more complex than I could ever imagine. I thought the earth was complicated enough - the animals, the different species, the plants, the humans, and the way they all work together - but throw in an entire universe on top of that, and my brain is smoking. Tonight, in case you haven't heard, will be the first total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern Winter Solstice since 1638. And the next one will be in 2094. How's that for mind boggling?

Now here's something that has never happened before, and may not happen again for many years to come. A man and his wife got to visit both of their homes for the Christmas Holiday. And one day, four generations were in the same room at the same time. When I ponder how all this came to be, how everyone met, married, and moved just to capture this one day, this one moment in time, with these exact people for one Christmas out of dozens past and future, I think, The lunar eclipse has nothing on this.

"You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you." Nehemiah 9:6

The Grimes Family "aligns" for one day only

The moon, an hour before the start of the eclipse

Comments

laughwithusblog said…

How fun! I love those family gatherings...for a little while. ;)

December 21, 2010 at 6:53 PM

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-

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