Mark and I have dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights for a long, long time. We’ve tried to spot them on numerous trips to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the North Shore of Minnesota, and in various parts of Alaska and Canada with no success. Two years ago, on a warm summer night, we chased all over northern Illinois convinced we’d see them. The result? Dark cornfields.
A couple weeks ago, while scrolling before a late afternoon meeting in Evanston. I stumbled on a forecast for the Northern Lights. I learned that they might be visible as early as 6:00 p.m. I messaged Mark, and he immediately hopped on a train to meet me.
Would this be the night? We began our search by walking south along the lake, stopping to survey the sky from each of the beaches. We encountered other friendly explorers who advised us to set our phones on “Night Sky”. We also saw lots of planes heading to O’Hare and bright lights from Northwestern University. No Northern Lights.
Finally, we took a dinner break and then skeptically began our trudge north back to my car. We planned to make a quick stop at each beach but were pretty sure we wouldn’t see anything.
As we hit the first beach, we were amazed by the number of people who had gathered. Were they seeing something? As we viewed the sky through our phones, we could almost see a hint of pink light. Was this just wishful thinking?
We continued on to the next beach. Barely visible with our naked eyes, our camera phones were able to capture streaks of blue, green, purple and pink. Rather than immediately greeting this spectacle with oohs and aahs, we asked: Are these really the Northern Lights? Might we just be seeing lights from campus? Aren’t the Northern Lights supposed to appear in big swirling shapes? If they really are the Lights, does it count to view them through our phones? (Ha – I have no idea who’s counting!)
Finally, we realized that we were catching a glimpse of the mysterious Northern Lights! Wow! We stared with wonder through our phones and then at the magnificent pictures they were capturing. Yes, we were seeing them!
On our way home, I messaged a photo to our adult children. Ciaran, who has some experience with the Northern Lights, immediately responded, “You did it!!!!!! Those are great!!”
Yes, the pictures are great! And yes, the Northern Lights were incredible! I’m so thankful for this magical night!
And I’m so thankful for each of you during this week of gratitude. What glimpses of light are you seeing during these dark days? What are you grateful for?
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