I hope a lot of people got to see the dazzling display that was predicted for the Northern Lights last night. The sun released two large bursts of energy toward Earth. Activity was expected to peak about an hour ago as I sit to write this journal entry. So far, the view out of our northern windows is the usual. We took a drive around 10 pm to a place that has a less obstructed view of the north and at that time there were very few clouds in the sky, but we saw no northern lights activity.

I expected that my move to this place would enable me to see northern lights frequently. So far, that hasn’t proven to be the case. I was treated to views of northern lights during the years we lived in North Dakota and I even got a glimpse of the lights from South Dakota on a couple of occasions. Where we live is the farthest north that we have ever lived, but seeing the aurora is not just a matter of how close or far away one is from the geographic north pole. The aurora forms around the magnetic poles of the planet, and the magnetic pole is significantly east of the geographic pole. Still, the predictors indicated that we had a good chance to see the lights early this morning.

Skies are mostly clear here right now, with a bit of fog drifting in patches from the ocean. The view to the north is impeded by the homes of our neighbors, but we have a good view from our second story window. There is a bit of light pollution from Surrey and Vancouver BC, but the northern lights should be brighter and slightly higher on the horizon than those light sources. Alas, no sightings from our house so far.

As disappointments go, this particular one isn’t particularly intense. I’m expecting to get many more opportunities to see the northern lights. Living where we do, there are several options for less expensive travel to points north and we have plans to make such a trip in a year or so.

This geomagnetic storm is not the strongest possible. It is rated 3 out of 5, which means that there will be conditions even better for viewing the northern lights in the future as the sun has multiple active sunspots that produce solar flares.

I haven’t seen a map with a projection of the places in northern Europe and Asia where the northern lights can be viewed. I know it is daytime there now, but as I am thinking about our place on the globe, my mind is drawn to other places that are about the same latitude. That includes Ukraine. We live very near the 49th parallel, at about 48.99 degrees north. Ukraine is a fairly large country, but its latitude is listed as 48.38 degrees - pretty similar to where we find ourselves.

I wonder if any, or most of the 4 million refugees displaced by the war were able to glimpse the northern lights last night. I wonder if the incredible beauty of this planet struck any of them in the midst of personal and communal crisis. With churches, homes and public buildings bombed and uninhabitable, with so many forced to leave with very few possessions or resources, with the grief of loss and the thread of additional violence, it seems possible that many of the refugees are looking at their feet more than they are raising their eyes to the night sky.

I know, however, about the ability of this planet to amaze and delight in the most grim circumstances. I know how I have been suddenly struck by wonder and awe even in moments of profound loss and grief. In the past, attending to those who have experienced sudden and traumatic loss got me out of bed in the middle of the night. I know the feeling of steeling myself for walking into the lives of people beset with deep grief and stepping outside into a stunning vista of stars and a sense of the vastness of the universe. I know that there are moments when I have felt small in the vastness of the universe and awed by the beauty that I have been allowed to witness.

I hope that the northern lights were visible to those in Ukraine last night. I hope that soldiers on watch were allowed a few moments of silent contemplation as the lights danced on the horizon. I hope that they sensed the difference between the lights of nature and the lights of warfare. I hope that refugees traveling in the night without a complete sense of their destination or of the resources they need to complete their trip were given a few moments to experience beauty and sense wonder. It seems to me that there are many things in this world that are far more important than my getting a glimpse at a natural phenomenon.

I can wait. I’m given the gift of beauty every day. Spring is in full swing here. The buds are producing new leaves on the trees. New blossoms are appearing every day. The vastness of the ocean amazes me on my daily walk as I watch the many colors of the sea, from gray to green to blue. The array of birds that frequent the air, land, and water around here is a treat beyond imagining. I know that I am fortunate to have safe rest each night in a home that is warm and secure. I know that the food in my pantry is a luxury that many of the world’s people cannot imagine. I know that the leisure to take a walk every day with my wife of nearly 49 years is a genuine gift. I count myself as among the most fortunate of this world’s people.

Simply being able to walk to the window and gaze out at the northern sky is a gift that I should not take for granted. So if I do see a glimmer of the dance of light on the horizon, it is an unearned bonus, worthy of celebration and joy. May God grant that joy to many others in a world in need of genuine joy.