I have  been texting the boys while they are over in Greenland and Iceland with their Dad this week.

Of course a big topic is Northern Lights: weather conditions, how strong they are, when to see them best, if we’ve seen them etc. Seeing them was on top of both our lists!

Rob and I have had the best luck to see them a couple of nights, but unfortunately for the boys, the weather has not been cooperating with lots of cloud cover which makes it hard to see the lights even if they are active.

To see the Northern Lights you need dark skies (away from light pollution), no clouds (so a clear sky that you can see stars), and then of course, Northern Lights activity.

What I have learned though, is that when there is faint activity, they really look like white streaks, or faint clouds, or even mist. You need to use a good camera lens to try to capture them because they are too faint for the naked eye.

With a good camera, you can capture them. And if they get stronger and stronger they can change colours and you can then see them with your naked eye.

While we had an incredible show one night, Zach was out with Josh and his Dad driving around trying to find them. They couldn’t see clear sky, so certainly couldn’t see the lights. Zach got out and was experimenting taking pics of their rental truck.

He ended up sending me this one:

Yes!! Those were Northern Lights!

He had no idea that they were there until he saw the picture later on!

Now he knows that sometimes he needs to stop and take the photo to see what’s really there. Then, if he can see some activity in his photo, then they can wait to see if the lights get stronger, or try to head in that direction to catch them. Or they could use a guide (which their Dad prefers not to do). It takes a lot of patience, and you can’t rely on your naked eye when trying to find them.

This got me thinking a lot about life and faith and how symbolic the Northern Lights are.

(Sort of reminded me of “if a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear?” too.)

If you can’t see the Northern Lights with your naked eye, are they still there?

Doesn’t how you see things in life really depend on the lense you put on?

Is it not the case, that sometimes all you see is dark sky and mistake the white mists for clouds, or fog, or nothing, when really with a different lense, there is colour?

Or sometimes, do we not just need someone to tell us how to change the lense, what settings the camera should be on and what to look for? Or we just need the right environment and have to get away from light pollution and head to where there are clear skies? You can’t see the lights in a storm or in clouds (even thought they are still there).

Sometimes a guide can teach us some of the tricks they’ve learned over years of experience and lead us to the right places and help us see the most colourful show. We still need patience, but we can learn from their experience.

The benefit of the boat is that they announced Northern Lights when they were strong enough for us to see – we didn’t have to be out looking all the time. We relied on their expertise. And had to trust that they knew what they were doing and would let us know when and where to check.

As my kids set out to find their “northern lights” I just pray that they are patient if they don’t see lights with their naked eye, are wise enough to look through many different lenses and take the picture even if they think nothing is there. I hope that they are wise enough to seek the expert advice, learn through their experience and other people’s experiences too, and at times seek out a guide they can trust who can show them the ropes.

I hope that they always maintain their faith that the Northern Lights are always there – even if they cannot see them. They may just need to adjust their lense, change their environment, or simply be patient in the timing of when they will appear to them and dance in the majestic skies.

Ps – all these photos were just taken by Rob on his iPhone – that’s how strong they were that night. Completely visible to the naked eye.

Pps – boys finally saw the Northern Lights last night! I’m so happy they got to see them dance with their naked eye and experience that incredibly thin moment in a thin place together.