Sharing the Moon

Last night’s full moon rose over the mountains behind a cloud bank, while we assorted devotees waited at the Blue Ridge Parkway overlook. Two sets of parents and their 3 or 4 year old girls sat on the grass nearby me. One girl marched about singing Supercalifragilistic with great enthusiasm, while the other child walked the low ledge of the parking area, balancing her arms like a baby ballerina. The singer stopped to look over at me in my camp chair with my journal on my lap, and asked her mother, What’s that purple (haired) lady doing? I waved my pen and called over, I’m writing.

Suddenly the moon peeked her brightness above the cloud! One little girl yelled, Huge round circle! When I raised my binoculars to adore the moon, I heard the girl tell her mom that I had big, funny glasses! Then the mom rummaged in a cooler and said, No, we can’t light the lantern yet, but now, ta-do!  we can eat our mooncakes!

One girl expressed her moon-thusiasm by making a long repeated revving sound, which she informed her family was a car-car. I imagined her wearing goggles and roaring up to the lunar surface. The moon shone, and hid, and shone, playing peekaboo from behind a gauzy veil of cloud cover. Then I heard—what? A bobcat? A woman in the distance? No, an owl screeching, maybe an Eastern Screech owl, maybe a baby barred owl— the screech raising the hairs on my arms, the sound blending with the little girl’s revving her car-car to go to the moon.

Oh yes, I thought. This is where I want to be— in the mystery! in the night! in the mountains!

Later, as I packed up my binocs and my camp chair, the families lit their lantern. A young dad swung the lantern while he led the way circling and spiralling  in the grass, followed by the snaking, singing line of his troupe. They marched around under the light of the wonderful moon, and, along with the playful parents, the two strong girls sang their hearts out, every word of every verse of Let’s Go Fly a Kite!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjfMBUHJS9c   from Mary Poppins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viMiMku-w2Q   from Saving Mr. Banks