The Stars At Night....

One of my favorite memories is sitting outside under a star filled West Texas night sky with my Dad. We always sat on the brick planter that extended from the carport to the front door of the tidy little house I called home for the first 19 years of my life.

Daddy always helped me find the Big Dipper first. I loved to trace it's pattern in the sky with my fingers wrapped around his. From the Dipper he would point out other stars and constellations. In the Summer the Dipper was huge and would span the horizon of our night sky. In the winter it was so small it was a challenge to find before the chill drove us indoors. I loved those star gazing nights.

To this day I find myself drawn out to the stars about once a week. As soon as I spot the big dipper, a warmth familiar to a six year old sitting in her Daddies lap, lulls me into gazing past our small planet with a child like wonder. How did God put them up there? Why? What are they really there to do? What are we really here to do? How come some seen so bright while others just barely glow? The questions go beyond the galaxies!

I feel sorry for children who grow up in light polluted cities where there seem to be few if any stars. What do their Daddies point out to them? What do they sit and wonder on? When we lived in the metroplex I often found myself searching for stars, only to find airplanes! Lots of airplanes! As much as I love rain, cloudy nights do nothing for me. Nothing compares to a star filled sky!

Thank you God for the starry nights of my childhood. Thank you for the Dad who showed me how to find the Big Dipper and ultimately guided me to YOU, the great star maker! Thank you for Always guiding me through the clear and cloudy days and nights even when I can barely make you out for all the pollution in my atmosphere. I can't wait to see what stars look like from heaven!