One of the things that I like most about this new place is the
unobstructed view of the night sky. Before, the trees crowded over the
lawn, the drive, and the house so that when you stepped outside, hardly
anything was visible.
I can't help but notice how the stars seem to form deliberate patterns
in the sky, almost like a picture book, or hieroglyphics, or a code of
some sort. Many shapes seem to be pointing at something, like
directional signals, but what they are pointing to is just beyond our
view. If you look away, your peripheral vision picks up even fainter
signs and the stars just out of your central vision are brighter than
when looked at directly. It is a beautiful view, best seen around 4
A.M. when the moon is furthest and the sky is dark. If it is possible,
they seem to have drawn closer than when I was a boy.
Some may say that it is just gravitational pull that aligns the stars
in such a unique and precise display, others may look and say it's just
random.Yes, I've seen the movie, "a beautiful mind" and it's not like
that. Astrologers and seamen see them for what use they may serve.
Ancient peoples may have seen them as gods. There seems to be something
mathematical, and logical, about the placement of the stars, but the
scale is so grand, that we cannot comprehend.
Whatever is the answer to this mystery, I can't help but believe that
there is reason in this picturesque scenery, that it has been put
there for a purpose, that it is writing in the sky. Whatever the
motive, it is deliberate and well placed, and can be enjoyed by
skeptics, and scholars, and laymen alike.
For centuries, man has looked to the sky for answers, but has not been
able to come to any significant judgment, only hypotheses, and theory,
all vague, and inconclusive. I believe it is more simple, that is why
it escapes us, it's splendor overwhelms our senses and we try too hard
to unbelieve. When my
grandchild is here, we enjoy pointing out the moon, and the brightest
stars, and they bring wonder to us both, as she seems to accept them
more easily as they are, without prolonged explanation.
i've always loved the starts. benjamin and i used to pick out the constellations. now peter has a fancy telescope he can see stuff we can't see with the naked eye.
i think daddy loved them too. at least he loved that song abt it took a miracle to hang the stars in place.
i love watching the stars too i often go away to the river and stay on a houseboat from there the milky way is so clear and close you think you could almost reach up and grab it it is a real site to see and the southern cross looks just as close i love being there and walking around at night looking up at the milky way and southern cross
I have just passed another milestone, my ninth year anniversary on my
present job. There was no fanfare, no bells, whistles, or confetti, not
even an acknowledgment of a goal seldom reached in the notoriously
revolving door of the hospitality business.
In my young and restless days, I would have strongly considered moving on
after five, so, how did this happen? Maturity, you say? Complacency?
Losing sight of a vision of always moving up and onward? I can tell you
now, those restless feelings are still there, but somehow, somewhere,
they are reshuffled to the back of the deck, to make room for the
different hand that has, more recently, been dealt. Impulse gives way
to reason, and desire yields to necessity.
If there is one bit of advice I have for the new generation, it is to make the most of the
spontaneity and vigor with which you envision life's challenges and
crossroads, for these are the moments that will define you as you
approach that "oh, so far off middle age".
Seldom is life so generous as to give you that second chance, which is in us all, to
start anew, and if by circumstance we do, we are not the same. There is
no fearless desire to run naked through the woods (although I've done
it a time or two at far, far, too old), there is no expediency to being
number one in the crowd. There is no longer "Me" and "Now". There is
however a different kind of boldness. I am not afraid of things that go
bump in the night. No longer do I fear hunger, or illness, or
unemployment, nor despair, because I have been visited by all these
things, and I have endured, and I know there will be tomorrow.
With our increasing age comes our greatest strength, and this is experience,
and the wisdom to pass it along to our children, and to theirs. In this
day and age there are many who may contemplate that there is no God,
or, there must be many Gods, but now, more than ever, I can fervently
say, and without a doubt, God bless my children, and keep them from
harms way, for where I lead them, they will follow.
-----byron c.
The
direst foe of courage is the fear itself, not the object of it, and the
man who can overcome his own terror is a hero and more.
- -- George MacDonald
"Go placidly amid the noise & haste & remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud & aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter; for always there will be greater & lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not fein affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a Child of the Universe, no less than the trees & the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors & aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy." -Max Ehrmann ["Desiderata"]
That reminds me... Me and Michael have to remember to go to this lecture next Wednesday: 
