I just saw a shooting star, and I had to tell you about it. I was searching the sky for the dippers - which I couldn't find. But Orion was just as bright as I have ever seen him, even the distant stars were clear. What I am pretty sure was Saturn was hovering, blinkingly a little bit above the horizon. And then, there it was. It dove right across Orion's belt and disappeared.
You can't keep amazing things like that to yourself - you have to share them. I made a wish as soon as it registered in my brain that I hadn't imagined it. (That I won't share.) But the thing I like about wishes, is that they are really prayers. You ask the light for something, just as it appears to be going out: shooting stars, birthday candles, and so on, and then you feel better inside. Even if you know that the wish seems completely unattainable, it sort of gives you this cheery feeling inside, a calm-happy feeling. I don't just wish into the dark. My whispered wishes are going to a higher source.
And speaking of good things, our Thanksgiving table was fabulously set. After some confusion about who would be here for the holiday meal, it was us and our four neighbors. I liked celebrating Thanksgiving with the two little boys and their parents. I babysat the kids all summer, so it was nice to have them back in my life for a day (especially since they were well behaved).
The food was delicious all day. From the first of the antipasta to the last fork scrape of cherry pie my tastebuds were absolutely delighted. And, because my mother is Italian, we'll be eating turkey until next Thursday. (This is not a problem for me at all!)
I have alot to be thankful for today. I am thankful for the wonderful people in the choir at church who all care about me and my family and make a tremendously joyful noise when we sing (like for mass this morning!). I am thankful for the people I have been blessed to share holidays with over the years, from the people who joined us at our table to the people who took me in when I couldn't get back to my family.
Perhaps I am thankful for this blog most of all. Maybe not this specifically, but all means of communication. No, probably the blog. This is where I get to post all sorts of things you may or may not care about, but you read anyway, because you're nice. And knowing I am sending my words out to someone makes me feel so much better. I am thankful for the people the blog has allowed me to "meet." I follow the lives of a number of people I have either vaguely met or that I now "know" through literal links on my friends pages.
The best thing about it is that I get to keep in touch with people all over the world. I called Alice in France today and we talked about life as if no time had past. We could, because they get to read about me and I get to see pictures and read about them - almost entirely online. How can you beat that?
Life is sort of like a shooting star. Really, it is just an ordinary space rock, plowing into the atmosphere and breaking up into tiny pieces, spreading itself out. From the ground we see, quickly, a little glow of light. Sometimes it is worth spotting, and other times you just stare and see an uninterpretable vastness. But whether you notice it or not, it is still there. Out there in the oblivion. There is a constancy to the uncertainty: you never know when you might see the tell-tale trail of light fly past, but you know that somewhere out there are little rocks hitting the atmosphere.
So I am thankful for life and shooting stars. I hope that one day my little glowing light will appear, as so many of yours have in my life. Thanks for reading. Love always, ~Heather
You can't keep amazing things like that to yourself - you have to share them. I made a wish as soon as it registered in my brain that I hadn't imagined it. (That I won't share.) But the thing I like about wishes, is that they are really prayers. You ask the light for something, just as it appears to be going out: shooting stars, birthday candles, and so on, and then you feel better inside. Even if you know that the wish seems completely unattainable, it sort of gives you this cheery feeling inside, a calm-happy feeling. I don't just wish into the dark. My whispered wishes are going to a higher source.
And speaking of good things, our Thanksgiving table was fabulously set. After some confusion about who would be here for the holiday meal, it was us and our four neighbors. I liked celebrating Thanksgiving with the two little boys and their parents. I babysat the kids all summer, so it was nice to have them back in my life for a day (especially since they were well behaved).
The food was delicious all day. From the first of the antipasta to the last fork scrape of cherry pie my tastebuds were absolutely delighted. And, because my mother is Italian, we'll be eating turkey until next Thursday. (This is not a problem for me at all!)
I have alot to be thankful for today. I am thankful for the wonderful people in the choir at church who all care about me and my family and make a tremendously joyful noise when we sing (like for mass this morning!). I am thankful for the people I have been blessed to share holidays with over the years, from the people who joined us at our table to the people who took me in when I couldn't get back to my family.
Perhaps I am thankful for this blog most of all. Maybe not this specifically, but all means of communication. No, probably the blog. This is where I get to post all sorts of things you may or may not care about, but you read anyway, because you're nice. And knowing I am sending my words out to someone makes me feel so much better. I am thankful for the people the blog has allowed me to "meet." I follow the lives of a number of people I have either vaguely met or that I now "know" through literal links on my friends pages.
The best thing about it is that I get to keep in touch with people all over the world. I called Alice in France today and we talked about life as if no time had past. We could, because they get to read about me and I get to see pictures and read about them - almost entirely online. How can you beat that?
Life is sort of like a shooting star. Really, it is just an ordinary space rock, plowing into the atmosphere and breaking up into tiny pieces, spreading itself out. From the ground we see, quickly, a little glow of light. Sometimes it is worth spotting, and other times you just stare and see an uninterpretable vastness. But whether you notice it or not, it is still there. Out there in the oblivion. There is a constancy to the uncertainty: you never know when you might see the tell-tale trail of light fly past, but you know that somewhere out there are little rocks hitting the atmosphere.
So I am thankful for life and shooting stars. I hope that one day my little glowing light will appear, as so many of yours have in my life. Thanks for reading. Love always, ~Heather
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