May 10

After taking in numerous beautiful photos of the Northern Lights from my friends around the country this evening, I decided I'd go out back a few minutes ago and have a look at what I could see from here.

When I first got up to the deck and surveyed the sky, I was disappointed that I didn't see any of those amazing greens and pinks. It's the sight I'd hoped to see, after all.

But then I focused on what I could see: a huge moon whose brightness was so intense that it belied its crescent phase, and a sea of tiny but brilliantly illuminated stars. Absence of color aside, it was stunning.

And it was also a nice reminder that even when we don't get what we hope for, what we do get can be pretty remarkable as long as we don't get lost in disappointment.