Clear skies! These words always bring joy to the hobby astronomer. Today is Labor Day in the United States, which means I had the chance to stay out late last night to capture some images of the stars.
Since we’re in the heart of Milky Way season, I thought I would do some “astro-landscapes,” combining outdoor scenes with a starry sky. One of my favorite places to do astro-landscapes is a park called Big Falls. It’s a County Park in Eau Claire with a nice combination of woods and open space. I thought it would be perfect for a restful, quiet night of astrophotography. I found a nice composition, waited for nightfall, and started imaging.
As soon as I started imaging, I saw flashlights (or torches for those from outside the USA) and immediately felt frustration. “No, no, no, you’re in my my composition,” I muttered under my breath. Thankfully they only invaded my imaging space for a brief period of time and I could get back to my imaging.
The night yielded a solid hour of capture time. Great! When I went back to my car I was greeted in the parking lot by one of the young adults I was muttering about earlier. “Can you help me?” Her request scared me for a lot of reasons, but the main reason was I could tell she was in crisis.
“I don’t know if I can help you. What’s wrong?”
“I can’t find my sister.” The young woman immediately broke down in tears. Big Falls is a big park with dark skies. After nightfall, I could easily see how losing a sibling would become a terrifying experience with the combination of thick woods, jagged river rock, and a water fall. During the day, the falls are a popular place for people to swim. After dark… I wouldn’t want to be walking through the river.
Amid her panic, I recalled hearing a voice drift from the other side of the river while I was walking back to my car.
“I was just doing some star photography and heard a voice from across the river. Should we go and see if its her?” She nodded her head in approval, we went for a short walk to the river, called out her sister’s name, and thankfully it was her. The tear-filled reunion was rather touching to watch. After that, the “lost sister” got a little angry with her sibling. “Why are you walking in the dark with a stranger?” I smiled. I knew everything was going to be okay.
How many times in life do we think we’re supposed to do something, but circumstances take us in a completely different direction? I thought last night was going to be a night of imaging the night sky… and it was! Little did I know that God had a second task for me that evening.
Spiritual Exercise: Be attentive to both the things you do today, but also the spontaneous moments that God puts before you. Be open to the possibility that your day might have a moment of spontaneous ministry.
