unseen reality

The real eclipse on Wednesday night was an elusive sight. As I rode my bike home at about 9:15pm, the bottom corner had been bitten from the giant disc of cheese. By the time I got home, clouds had entirely eclipsed the eclipse. I sat on the deck and periodically caught a glimpse of what was happening. Dan came over at about 11:00 and we sat it out until it was over. Call me silly for sitting under cloud cover for a non-observable lunar event. We did the same thing for the meteor shower in August. Nothing but clouds to be seen. But just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening. It's going on up there just as spectacular as if we could all watch it.
To sit under a meteor shower or view a total lunar eclipse on a clear night is a beautiful, awe inspiring thing. To sit under cloud cover knowing that it is happening beyond your ability to see is humbling. There is a deep spiritual lesson in knowing that the reality of something is in no way contingent upon my knowledge, understanding, observation or even belief.
Lunar eclipse, go on with your bad self. Perseid showers, rain above the clouds.
Sometimes we're given a fleeting glimpse. A clearing, if you will. But I believed there was an eclipse last night, even before the clouds thinned out.
I took this pic in one of the breaks in the clouds as they zoomed over head. I had the camera trained on the sky, where the moon would be. I needed 2 seconds of open shutter plus focus time. I couldn't get the focus right as I hurried capture the moment before it was gone, but the result is an interesting visual memory.