I see the moon and the moon sees me.  God bless the moon and God bless me.  Please let the light that shines on me/ shine on the one I love.”  The lyrics to this song became the #1 hit in England in 1954, the year I was born.   Our daughters grew up hearing their mother and I sing these words to them.

This week we have been treated to the most amazing moon of my lifetime.  The moon travels in an elliptical orbit, not a perfect circle.  That means that sometimes, the moon is closer to the earth than others.  Occasionally, there will be a full moon at the same time it is close to Earth.  The spectacular result is the “Supermoon” that we have seen this week.

The last time the moon was this close to Earth and this bright was in 1948, almost 69 years ago.  The next time we will see such a bright moon will be 2034, or 18 years from now.   By then I will be celebrating my 80th birthday, so hopefully I have a chance to see a Supermoon one more time in my life.

At the crack of dawn, Mary Lou and I sat in a field on the edge of town watching the magnificent moon descend along the horizon.  The quiet peace of the early morn was the perfect setting for witnessing one of nature’s constants over time.   

At the same time, our world seems so chaotic following the recent elections.  Protestors in the streets in cities across the country.  A divided nation dealing with the stunning defeat of the favored candidate.  Some people want change and yet change frightens others. 

Perhaps American citizens and our nation are much like the moon.  Sometimes the moon seems bigger and brighter, shining with a brilliance that inspires.   Sometimes the night is dark as the moon temporarily disappears from our view.

Sometimes we have a full moon but it is obscured by the clouds.  The full moon is still there, we just can’t see it.  Yet we know, with full confidence that reassuring light in the night sky will return, occasionally brighter than ever. 

The lyrics of the song, as old as I, ring true as our nation returns to normal.  “God Bless the moon and God bless me.  Please let the light that shines on me/shine on the one I love.”  We can all hope that light continues to shine on America, the land all of us love, in the days ahead.