Auring

    She was giddy with excitement.  Our trip was consummated this morning.

    We had come to Alaska to see the aurora and she performed her magic early this morning with a fine display of dancing, changing rapidly to shooting up, with colors of green, red and blue.

     It was our third night of aurora, the first night my Dad saw it first; a fine line of aurora, bright against the hazy moisture laden sky.  It moved quickly this night as well.  Our next night was mild.  It was there, yet only one line moved and skirted around a little.

     Our third night it snowed, so we were given a reprieve from our early morning excursions and slept in.   Our fourth night was too hazy  & cloudy and we reluctantly gave up after forty five minutes.  Tonight, or rather early this AM, my mother asked ‘Auring’ to show herself.  ‘Auring’, is her nickname for the aurora borealis.  A term of endearment I suppose.  Later convinced this is why ‘Auring’ showed up; the aurora’s display was magical, first a long thin line, then it split and grew and doubled and came up from below and danced and came so close to us my mother almost reached out to touch it, we were both giving our commentary on what she was doing next as she moved over, danced and changed colors as rapidly as we could talk.  She got wide, then skinny, shot up and then down, did everything she could to make us laugh and smile as she played around in the atmosphere.  Forty five minutes of changing, drifting off, then getting bright again; we were richly rewarded with a sight we had asked for.  She played with the stars as she made them twinkle and wink, disappear and suddenly shine bright.  As if playing with all her glory, the stars a heavenly backdrop to showcase.  ‘Auring’ was magical tonight as she took her bow and started drifting further into the background of clouds in a graceful retreat.  Ah, yes, our aurora made us happy to see the wonders of the world play right in front of us.  My mother was giddy with excitement on our short drive back to our Alaskan log cabin we had rented in the snow surrounded by Sitka spruce and Birch trees.  She described the aurora we had just seen and it was magical all over again…..life is good in Alaska this morning and our trip was richly rewarded.

    Thank you ‘Auring’, my mother quiet now as I see her pray and remind me to thank the heavens for this piece of heaven given us here on earth.  Amen.