Chasing a Comet

Last week we heard about a comet that would be visible from Earth with the naked eye. Being in New England, we rarely get to see celestial events because, inevitably, the weather doesn’t cooperate. We’ll get excited to see a meteor shower or the Northern Lights and, as the day approaches, the forecast will change to rain or snow or, at the very least, overcast skies and we will be denied. But we had been enjoying unseasonably nice weather with clear skies and remained hopeful. However, because we are out of practice for these types of events, we didn’t plan very well.

The sun went down, and we jumped in the car, turned left out of the driveway, and headed into the night in the direction we thought would give us the best opportunity to see this “once in a lifetime” event. Off we went, on back roads, in search of a good location to see the western horizon. But the lights and trees denied us, and, after half an hour of driving, we decided we were now much too late to see it and needed to head home. Disappointed, we turned around and headed home and to bed.

Two days later my significant-other told me in the morning there would be another chance to see it that night. Right after sunset, western horizon, just to the left of a very bright start. And wouldn’t you know, the skies would be clear again. We didn’t want to miss our chance as this comet would not be seen again for 80,000 years. This time, we left just before sunset, turned right out of the driveway and drove to the top of a hill, just past a tree farm and pulled over where there was an incredible view of the horizon. We drove past this spot nearly every day and hadn’t realized it faced west.

The sun went down, a bright star appeared, and we stood there, waiting. Suddenly, another bright object appeared, moving ever so slightly, and then the tail appeared up and to the left, just as they described. We watched, speechless, for the few minutes it could be seen and then it disappeared. We were less than a mile from our house.

To most people driving by, it may not have looked like much, but to us, it was an opportunity to witness a part of God’s creation that no one alive had seen before and no one alive would ever see again. Would humans still be around in 80,000 years? Would the Earth? It was humbling and truly awe-inspiring to be given the chance to see something that has traveled throughout the universe, making the briefest appearance over the horizon before disappearing again for thousands of years. And it was basically in our back yard.

How often do we head out in search of treasure, excited, but with no real plan or direction? Are we just chasing something shiny because we can? But in the end, we are left disappointed and empty while we have missed the treasure that is right in front of us.

Last weekend, our granddaughter came to stay with us for a couple of nights. All she had talked about on the way up from North Carolina was Grandma’s garden and playing in the leaves. How grateful we were that we had not bothered to clean up the yard! If we had, we would have missed the sheer delight of seeing a three-year old giggling and squealing as she jumped in the leaves and threw them into the air. And I would have missed out on remembering my own joy in doing that as a child as I jumped in and threw leaves and danced in them with her.

Chasing treasure is fine, but not at the expense of missing the real joy and blessings that are right in front of us. Or in our own backyard.