The Season of Miracles by Terry Hauan

From 'Quarter Century', SGN Issue 25

What is a miracle? Webster says its an event or effect in the physical world beyond or out of the ordinary course of things... or an abnormal event brought about by a superhuman agency as a manifestation of its power. If we use that definition, then we are surrounded with a multitude of celestial objects and events that qualify as miraculous by almost any standards. We find for example a vast primeval universe of stars, preserved in their original colorand stare as they were millions of years ago. Why did they not decay back into the void? Why did their original color tones contain a rainbow of colors? Perhaps it is a miracle! And today, the starry universe stands as a natural wonder of that time period too long ago for most of us to comprehend.

Looking elsewhere in the starry universe, we see unusual galaxies and nebula which have required billions of years of evolution. Most notable perhaps is the Great Andromeda Galaxy. Armies of galaxies march proudly across seemingly endless space. Here too is a miracle, for the galaxies are unique to our eye. Two thousand years ago, while Jesus of Nazareth roamed the desert lands of the Mediterranean, the Anasazi Indians built still standing observatories and began a peaceful observing tradition that, in the face of modern technology, poignantly reveals the value of man working in harmony with the universe. And when one stands at the edge of a nebula, a starry nighttime miracle, and contemplates the universe and man, it is a humbling experience. Thus, the Christmas season just passed on Earth has special meaning to us. It is a time to pause and reflect upon the mysteries that surround us. It is the season of miracles.

I would wish that you might ponder these words as only my latest ongoing effort to understand the makeup of our universe and of all its marvelous occupants.