My sister and I took the 2 year old and 3 month old for a twilight walk on the deserted dirt roads in the remote desert where my niece lives, just as the sun was setting. As we walked, the sky turned from blue, to purple with streaks of orange and magenta. The mountains reflected salmon colored rays of the settling sun. And then, as the sun disappeared, an enormous full moon began to lift its brilliant disc above the top of the craggy mountains that ring this valley. It was glowing against the darkening sky, and perfectly round. It was visibly moving, climbing into the sky. The two year old stood transfixed, watching it.
"Circle!" he cried.
We heard a coyote in the distance, but otherwise, there was no sound in this quiet place, save the crunching of our shoes on the dirt road.
After a week in the hospital, my sister is now out just a couple of days but feeling completely fine. I am helping her with the little one's care for a few more days to be sure she doesn't overdo and relapse. She is not at all thrilled with my reminders of the doctor's dietary suggestions. I tell her that as she reaches for those luscious french fries, remember the nurse sticking her twenty times searching for a vein to get in the IV.
"My life is over," she told me, as I remind her that there are many delicious lowfat choices in life.
I don't think as she watched the moon rise over the mountains and her delightful grandson pointing with awesome wonder that she thought her life was over however. I think perhaps she may have been thinking, "Life is just beginning!"
God is wonderful in that way. When we struggle, He is constantly reminding us that there is a greater plan, a most beautiful world beyond what we know that awaits us. At least that is what I thought about as I watched the most glorious moon I had ever seen casting its mysterious light upon my face.
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Psalm 37: 3-4
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
I saw that same moon "setting" on the way to the men's Bible study I attend (we are going thru "I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist" by Dr. Norman Geisler and I highly recommend it). The moon was indeed beautiful. Reading this I was reminded of the scene in Forrest Gump, when he was in Vietnam. It had rained for several months, then suddenly stopped, and the stars came out. Forrest remarked that those were the same stars his beloved Jenny saw back home.
ReplyDeleteAwwww. Sweet thoughts!
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