The Northern Lights

"We are supposed to be able to see the Northern Lights tonight between 1-3am," my husband informs me before bed. "Do you want to set your alarm?"

"I don't need to set an alarm, I'll just tell myself I want to wake up at 1:00am and I'll wake up," I tell him.

He seems confounded by this reply and I ask, "Can't you tell yourself when you want to wake up and then do it?" 

"No," he replies. I am slightly surprised. I thought everyone could do this but I guess not.

I jolt awake in the middle of the night and look at the clock and it says 1:11am. Since the clock is about 10 minutes fast, it was almost 1:00am exactly. I lay there trying to decide if it is really worth leaving the cozy warmth of my bed to go outside. I look out the window and I do not see colors but the sky is oddly bright and it shouldn't be. There was a new moon a few nights ago and the sky should be brilliant with stars against a moonless dark backdrop. Instead it is full moon bright so I pull my bathrobe on and pad downstairs, taking my phone from the charger as I go outside. 

Everything looks black and white but there are some odd bright streaks across the sky and I decide to take some photos. I remember hearing that you can sometimes photograph the Northern Lights even when you can not see them with your eyes. I make sure the flash is off, point my camera at the sky and slowly the camera takes a picture.

And I can see the lights! Purples, pinks and greens dance across my screen. I gaze in wonder at the sky. I still only see in black and white but now I realize that there is a very faint pink as well. It is like seeing something from the corner of your eye and second guessing yourself if you really saw what you think you did. In my black and white vision I watch the lights streak across the sky, fading and reappearing and swirling.

I run upstairs and try to get John to come see the lights but he is asleep and when I finally wake him up he has no interest in getting up. Later he regrets that decision when he sees all the pictures that people post about the Northern Lights. 

It is cold outside but I am so captivated that I throw back the lid of the hot tub and sit in the hot tub with my camera, continuing to take pictures for almost an hour. This is one of the coolest experiences of my life. There is a surprising amount of people driving around and I assume they are searching for a good place to see the lights. 

Just above the huge madrona tree in our yard is the Big Dipper and I get a good picture of the lights swirling in front of the constellation. It is so bright that only the brightest constellations and stars can be seen.

As I sit in the hot tub gazing up at the sky I realize that this must be what heaven is like. There is a verse that says, "We see through a glass darkly but then face to face." I look at the sky with my eyes and I can see brightness but everything is black and white with just the faintest tinge of pink. When I look through the camera I can see the vivid colors. Surely that is what heaven must be like, like going from black and white to color. The color is there but we are not equipped to see it unless we see in a different way.

I think of the verse, "The heavens declare the glory of God," and tonight the heavens are shouting and singing in a way I've never experienced. Around the world people are gasping in wonder as they see the colorful brilliance of the heavens above. 

Eventually I pull myself out of the hot tub and go back to bed. I have seen the Northern Lights and it was a mystical and amazing experience that I will never forget.