The Super Supermoon could not have appeared at a more perfect time.
It hung in the sky like a global lantern and lit the world with its splendor.
I loved the thought that each of our four children, in each of their four big cities, could look up at the sky and wonder at the very same moon. Their grandpas would have loved it too as each had an interest in astronomy. Grandpa Vince even earned a degree in it.
I’m no expert myself, but I did read that when the moon is closest to the earth, its gravitational pull is at its peak. I’d like to believe that’s true.
I think about how that moon brushed past the earth, drew people’s eyes up and, hopefully, pulled us all together.
Why not?
Here’s what that Super Supermoon did:
It offered us a clearer look at darkness, which is very helpful because in order to solve problems, you have to see them. On Monday, the FBI released its annual report on hate crimes, which showed a 6% increase overall and 67% against Muslim Americans. You have to see the problem to solve the problem. More than 650 people have been killed in Chicago so far this year, including five this weekend with another 39 shot. You have to see the problem to solve the problem. Flint Michigan Mayor Karen Weaver had to extend the city’s state of emergency regarding its water this week, which means you still can’t drink the water in Flint, even 11 MONTHS after all parties agreed it was unfit for human consumption. You have to see the problem to solve the problem.
The list goes on and it could be depressing, but I’ll tell you something else that Super Supermoon did. It united the world in a single instance of awe. From one side of the planet to another, people paused, for a least a moment, to look. That moon broke barriers of language and culture. It showed us all that human qualities like admiration, reverence and joy exist in all of us.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, that moon made us all lift our heads up. No matter what your faith, or whether you believe in any deity at all, that Super Supermoon pulled your eyes up and made you look beyond this earth.
“Look up,” that big beautiful moon said. “You’re just a bunch of humans in a giant galaxy and you’re all in this thing together.”
Loved the article. Great photos also.
Thank you!
Ours was so bright that when I let the dogs out back, I didn’t need to turn on our flood lights.
What did the dogs think of the moon?
Nothing …. that they shared with me anyway. 😉 Their big thing now is adjusting to the time change. Our 12 and 1/2 yr old Boxer prefers daylight savings time.