This morning when I walked into our living room, I was shocked to see a thin crescent moon starring at me at 6am.  I have caught many sunrises lately with those happening around 7am, but I have not seen the moon this early in the morning the last few months.  It literally threw me off so much that I kept checking the clock to make sure I had not set the alarm wrong.

This sliver of beauty gave me much to ponder.  It was such a small sliver of the moon–barely emerging, but there is so much more there just waiting to unfold in its entirety.  There is so much more left to be revealed.  I could literally see the fullness of the moon, but it was hidden in the shadows.   In time, the moon will be full again, and I will notice the light it reflects. 

As the sun made its slow, majestic ascent above the horizon ready to shed light and wake-up this portion of the world, the moon was quickly pushed out of my vision.

It makes me wonder…how often do I stop and take notice in the moon’s beauty when it is not full?

 How often in our own lives do we not take notice in the beauty of the barely emerging new moment, awareness, gift, or insight in our lives? How often do we fail to acknowledge the beauty of a newly emerging relationship in our lives or newly emerging blessing?  Or do we too often only focus on what shines full and bright? 

–Originally written in January 2010

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.