Today I saw the stars.
At first, I saw the deep blue enormity of the sky that enveloped the world in a warm darkness. And then I saw the lights, some that shine with a dignified confidence, and others so shy that their presence is hardly known.
Today I saw the stars.
I squinted to see the seven sisters unmoving in their close devotion to one another, Orien’s belt, and the little dipper. Just like I have seen in hundreds of clear skies before.
But today, I saw the stars.
I stared up into the vastness of the universe, I stared into the promise that there are some things we can explain, and there is a lot more that we can’t. I stared into the sky and saw wonder. I felt all the normal things people feel when they really see the stars. I felt small. I felt beauty. I felt a confusing understanding that even one, small life, had its place in this big universe.  For all at once, I felt everything in the world, and nothing at all.
Today I saw the stars.