Star light, star bright

When I was a little girl I spent many summer nights laying on a blanket on our front lawn looking up at the night sky over Spokane, Washington.  I'd look for constellations, shooting stars, watch satellites pass overhead and listen to the quiet evenings of summer.

Now I live in Alaska where stars aren't visible during summer because it's always daylight.  Stars are plentiful during our winter nights, however, bundling up like the Michelin Man and possibly becoming a human Popsicle to watch stars just isn't fun.

So for the last couple nights when I get home from work around midnight, I make a cup of hot tea and curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket and gaze out my window at the night sky.  It's peaceful and serene.  The moon is full and beams ethereal light onto the frozen tundra.  The stars twinkle in varied colors of light like pinholes in a blanket back-lit by the heavens.  The ice fog floats above the river down in the valley.  The hoarfrost clings to the trees making it look like they've been sprayed with Christmas tree flocking. I love the peace and quiet of night.  My mind wanders back to childhood memories.

I used to wonder what it'd be like to be on a ship navigating a sailboat by the stars, listening to the waves lap up against the keel.  I used to wonder how those three wise men found their way around the desert using the North Star.  I wondered if Lewis and Clark used the stars to find their way across the continent.  I wondered what "ancient people" thought the stars were in the first place.  Silly thoughts of a little girl who wanted to explore the world but had no desire to go into space where the stars reside.
  
I've always watched for shooting stars just knowing I'd be lucky enough to see one......maybe.  And when I did see one it was exciting because I was lucky enough to have seen something that lasts only for a split second in time.  Just think about it.  There are a trillion stars up there, the sky is a huge canvas and you're looking at the precise speck of sky where a shooting star appears.  I think that's pretty cool.  Some people never see a shooting star in their lifetime and I've been lucky enough to see several.   In fact, I saw one just two nights ago!  True to form I still blurted out loud "look, a shooting star" even though I was home alone.

I'll always watch the night sky and never lose my fascination with it partly because it reminds me what a small part of the world we each are.  There are shooting stars and constant stars up there; we have the same here on Earth.  Each person is a one-in-a-million and can make a lasting impression with just a split-second of contact, like a shooting star.  I'm sure you can think of someone who's been like that in your life.  I know I can.  The constant "stars" who regularly shine in your life make the most impact though.  I can think of many of them in my life......the family and friends who I love dearly and who love me in return.  You know who you are and I'm thankful for every one of you.