The Aurora Borealis (The Northern Lights)

Mere words can not ever do justice to the beauty of this amazing phenomenon, but here is my attempt.

I am taken back to a hot July night in 1973, at the summer camp where I worked as a counsellor. The staff was gathered in the screened porch munching on the customary peanut butter and toast, having just left our cabins with the kids settling down in their beds. Guitars were playing and we were singing James Taylor songs when the Trip Hut and Nature Area guys burst through the door.


"Ya gotta get out here, The Northern Lights are just amazing!" they announced excitedly.


Leaving the gaiety of the snack area, we filed out and our mood immediately changed to a calm and hushed tone. We stood transfixed on the hill overlooking the lake, staring up in wonder. What we beheld was a beauty unparalleled to any other.


The red, blue, purple and orange were unusually rich and vivid. We were stunned. They were more active and brilliant than any of us had ever seen.
It was a purely magical and spiritual moment, and we all felt that we had witnessed The Creator's work so closely, that we were an interwoven part of His Tapestry.


The lights danced for us and the curtains shimmered like a rainbow for two hours until, they quietly dimmed and slipped behind the stage, bowing their goodbyes. How humbled, yet honoured we were that special night.


Several times since, when all the summer camp people have seen each other, we have recalled that night with a, "Do you remember when..?" It's almost as if we still can't quite believe what we had seen years ago. And indeed, how could we ever forget?



Mother of Invention
If you have never seen The Aurora Borealis, I so hope you will be lucky enough to see them for yourself.