Foxfire Sunrises & Storms
Outdoors you see a whole lot more of the splendors of God’s creation than if you spend most your time inside buildings. One ten degree fahrenheit morning I ran around a frozen lake about daybreak. The sunrise started out a deep purple and orange. As those colors mellowed, bright pink clouds fleeted across the crisp, blue sky. And then as clouds stacked up, half the sky turned fluorescent orange, almost a foxfire sunrise.
Now all of this lasted about five minutes max. I figured the Lord set off fireworks to begin excitement for another day.
Cattle Drive Foxfire
One of the God created splendors in the Old West included the foxfire on big cattle drives. As they drove those herds across the plains in the 1870s and ‘80s, they’d hit thunderous summer storms in the Kansas Indian territory. These electrical storms with lightning flashes and sulfur hung so heavy in the air that it was suffocating.
Sometimes in the darkness of such storms, the horn tips of the cattle, the ears of the horses, and the hat brims of the cowboys shined with phosphorescent light. This eerie glow could come right out of a science fiction story or bad dream. The cowboys called it foxfire or St. Elmo’s fire (see below).
Cowboy Hat Halos
One old-timer reports that every once in a while a certain crown of some cowboy’s hat would glow like a halo. Though it only stayed a few seconds, some got kidded, “That’s as close to being an angel as you’ll ever come.”
You and I, of course, will never wear halos either. But we do have a chance to wear a crown.
The Bible says, “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).
Now I’m pretty much stuck on wearing cowboy hats myself. But I have a feeling I’ll gladly trade mine for a heavenly crown. And that crown signifies a reward. Not for living a perfe
ct life because we can’t do that. This reward comes for those who worked hard to obey the Lord’s leading after trusting Him as Lord and Savior.
The crown will be one of the many thrills waiting for us in heaven. And I’m sure the mornings up there will make earthly cold morning sunrises and foxfire on cattle horns seem like a mere dull and faded memory.
Stephen Bly
Circa 1995
Purple Lightning Image by FelixMittermeier from Pixabay
Gold and Purple Halos Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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Other Foxfire Resources
A corona discharge sometimes resulting in a hissing sound. The first step in generating St. Elmo’s Fire is a thunderstorm. St. Elmo’s fire is named after St. Erasmus of Formia (also known as St. Elmo), the patron saint of sailors. The phenomenon, which can warn of an imminent lightning strike, regarded by sailors with awe and sometimes considered to be a good omen. Noticeable primarily during thunderstorms or volcanic eruptions.
~~ Foxfire Movies
At least three movies have been produced. Foxfire is a 1955 American drama romance Western film starring Jane Russell, Jeff Chandler, and Dan Duryea. The movie was loosely based on a best-selling 1950 novel by Anya Seton.
Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy recreated their Foxfire stage roles in a 1987 filmed production. Annie Nations and her husband Hector loved their life together in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but when Hector dies, Annie has to decide if she can handle the wilderness on her own.
And Foxfire is also a 1996 American teen drama film based on a Joyce Carol Oates novel, Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang. This movie examines the coming of age of four high school girls who meet a mysterious and beautiful drifter.
A 12-volume series of anthologies that first appeared in Foxfire Magazine. These articles were written by Rabun County high school students over the magazine’s 40-year history. Usually expanded through follow-up interviews and other research, they provide a memorial to the people and the vanishing culture of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. They brought to life for readers the words of those born, raised, and also passed away there. High school students collected the words to be a part of their community and preserve their heritage.
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Great stories for devotions. Three great movies too!
Greetings, Richard: Thanks so much for the comments! Blessings, Janet