Isn’t it lovely to live in a world in which you can walk up your driveway, turn around and discover this surprise? It’s just what happened to me yesterday, and the wonder of it all nearly took my breath away.

Then I learned from my friend, Cindy, it’s called the Thunder Moon. Native Americans gave July’s full moon this designation because it appears in the month of storms. It is also known as the Buck Moon, since male deer sprout new antlers during this season. Making it all more magical, this year’s moon is at its closest point in its elliptical rotation around the earth, making the moon appear bigger and brighter–particularly when viewed close to the horizon. That makes it the first of three Supermoons this Summer.

What a grand gift it is to have a great seat for this remarkable performance of nature. What a demonstration of the miraculous.