Star Gazing

via: Tumblr Life on Mars

“If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night,
I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.”

Fireflies and Stars

Time Fireflies Photograph by Ionut Burloiu

Fireflies in the Garden

By Robert Frost 

Here come real stars to fill the upper skies,

And here on earth come emulating flies,

That though they never equal stars in size,

(And they were never really stars at heart)

Achieve at times a very star-like start.

Only, of course, they can’t sustain the part.

 

An allegory between the stars and the fireflies:
We may want to shoot for the stars and be like fireflies to shine like the stars but I say just be yourself, you will shine with your inner light.

Image credit to: Ionut Burloiu of Italy for having chosen as one of the best contributors of “After Midnight” Your Shot assignment at National Geographic.  Thank you Ionut for allowing me to share your photo of my memorable childhood.

Look! A Shooting Star

Look at everything and everyone around you and imagine how a creating and loving God would see what you see. Love the good; do what you can to change what needs to be changed.

— from Advent with St. Francis

Another day at the dental office and another 3.5 hours listening to Christmas music is highly not on the top of the list of having fun.  My mouth is still sore from the other day and here I go again feeling kind of masochist and the dentist a sadist.  I decided to turned off my mind, recited a mantra and went into the clouds of unknowing.  The next thing I knew, soft hands were caressing my face and waking me up gently every time my mouth gradually closes.  I really rather be sleeping and pretend that I am somewhere in outer space.

‘Humming a song with the dentist’s fingers, feeling the pain of the drill, feeling my mouth with plaster, feeling me softly with pain’, a song in my head that is not conducive to relieving the agony.  So I changed the mental song to ‘Catch a falling star and put in my pocket save it for a rainy day’. Perry Como`s song sounded much better.

Eventually, the session is over only to return next year to finish the job. Left the clinic and went to a floral shop to divert my attention.  Just looking, admiring  and savouring the scented flowers with no intention of buying until I saw a plant that has the most beautiful white flower.  It was a very unusual plant, a species of hydrangea called Shooting Star.  With no hesitation, I bought it,  took it home and gave the plant to the next door neighbour for no reason at all.  But of course, the neighbour always wants a reason and asks why.  Before I can give her a chance to ask why, I said: “Here, Merry Christmas.”

The first thing the neighbour exclaimed was “Shooting Star! I dreamt of Shooting Star last night!”  Was she ever excited and gave me a bear hug, a kiss on my forehead and never-ending gratitude.  Our stars must be aligned is all I can think of to dismiss the coincidence.  What I really think is that her angels must have whispered in my ears, the soft still voice that made me buy the plant and gave it to her.

Ain’t life grand?  It takes very little to make one happy in turn made me feel joyful.