In the early hours of this morning, I woke groggily after my alarm went off and sat up. It was 2am and we had made a plan.
I first went to wake my eldest. She was a little disorientated (who wouldn’t be at 2am?) but made efforts to get up. The two younger ones were a bit harder to get up but when reminded they were quickly out of bed and pulling on their clothes.
So, why were the four of us heading out on to our terrace at silly-o-clock? The Perseid meteor shower was at its peak and we were all determined to see our first shooting stars!
I had to keep reminding my son, who’s five years old, to keep his voice down and that most people were still asleep. He’d walk about saying he couldn’t see anything. My girls chatted about which direction we should be looking in (North) and how long we would have to wait. My research said we had to wait at least thirty minutes for our eyes to get used to the dark. I patiently looked up. Waiting. Eventually, the children settled and looked up too. A rustle across the street took our eyes off the sky for a moment – a fox chasing the neighbour’s cat. But back to the skies we turned.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork.
PSALM 19:1
The black sky was filled with stars – far more than are usually visible. There was also a Supermoon shining bright behind us and looking bigger than normal. A particularly bright star shone not far from the moon – a planet but I can’t remember which one. The children started to get bored: ‘What time is it?’ and my neck started to ache as they began to chat about all the things we could see and not the thing we couldn’t. Then suddenly – in a flash, I saw it.
‘I just saw one!’
‘Where?!’ They all chorused together. It was the incentive they all needed to keep looking up.
My middle child saw the next one, then my son. My eldest was getting frustrated until – ‘I saw one!!’
We stayed out long enough to see a few more before the chilly night began to bother us too much and we headed back inside.
I love making memories with my children. I love that they can look at things and see how vast and amazing God is. Maybe you won’t see a shooting star, but look at God’s wonderful creation, see how it declares His glory and give Him your praise too.
Love and blessings
Ana x
Steadfast Love 