Exhausted to Ecstatic

Photo by Jenny Venturo

It’s inevitable. We have an amazing day packed with adventure. But the day must end—and we must clean up.

It is dark by the time we get home. Sore and happy, we stumble out of the car. On this particular day we must clean the saltwater off the paddleboards and lay out all our things to dry. We all know our duties and numbly go about them.

“Look!” Kelly exclaims.

“Mom, come quick!”

Tired and sore no more, suddenly our noodly legs are running about and we are pointing and shouting at the sky. Great curtains of red and green light are gliding across the starry blackness above. Everybody scrambles to eliminate all artificial light pollution. I even snatch the headlamp right off Joshua’s head and shut it off.

Eyes glued to the sky, we savor every magical moment. Mom just can’t stop snapping pictures. I thank God over and over for letting us see this incredible display of His handiwork.

None of us could have guessed that this would be the night when we’d get to experience the aurora borealis.

Photo by Jenny Venturo

Photo by Jenny Venturo