Starry Starry Night

Dec. 8, a week ago tomorrow as I write this, I was at school, I am a middle school librarian. It was my lunch/planning period. On Tuesdays my lunch and planning are back to back and so it's an extended time without students.



I was sitting in the library over by the window thinking when the thought entered my mind about the stars. I began to think about the stars and how the stars are always in the sky. They don't go away and come out only at night. I realize these thoughts are somewhat elementary. I mean it sounds like a question for the new game show, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader. "I'll take second grade science, please", but I digress. LOL These thoughts are certainly not original with me and it's not even the first time I had thought about this kind of thing, but this day it was different.



I thought about the stars and how they are always there, but how sometimes it was hard if not impossible to see them in all the light. On a bright, beautiful sunny day, you just notice that one huge golden star and that's about it.



That's when my mind began to think about when I do see the stars the most clearly. It's on one of those coal black nights. When you're out in the country away from all the city lights, the car lights, the cell phone lights, the t.v. lights, the computer monitor lights and you look up into the jet black sky and there are trillions of diamonds, stars lighting up the darkness. The beauty in the darkness is breathtaking at times. It's AWEsome.



That's when my mind turned to the fact that in this journey we are on, when it seems dark, jet black, maybe darker than ever before for us, I'm seeing more light than ever. I am seeing the beauty in the darkness. I'm seeing the light of Christ shining brighter than ever before. I'm seeing the light of Christ living in others.



Tangible examples of this are so numerous and every one has been special to us. It is so hard to single out just a few, but here are some that come to mind.



A friend who has gone through his own grief in the last few years took his time and hand carved Bobby a wooden plague that says HOPE. He told Bobby someone had given a similar one to him in his own journey.



Bobby's uncle and aunt who live out of town had a T-shirt made with his name, a Panther, and Lewis County Panthers on the back and then had their church pray over the shirt. They sent it to Bobby with a letter stating that when he wears it that it would be a remembrance that many have and are praying for him.



The day we received the news that Bobby had lymphoma he had two amazing friends and our doctor(his cousin and friend as well) sitting in our den encouraging him, answering questions, and helping us make decisions. Not to mention all the others that called and came by later that day and night.

Sunday a friend came by with BBQ from a special BBQ place in Lexington that we like to stop at when we visit my family in Milan. He came over and said they were coming through Lexington on the way home from Jackson and passed B.E. Scott's BBQ. He turned the car around and went back just to get the BBQ for Bobby. We weren't sure how he knew we liked the place. I am sure Bobby had mentioned it in the past to him, but the fact he had remembered that and took the time to turn around and go back just for Bobby. Humbling.

Prayer partners who pray with me, for me, and honestly speak into my life before this journey and during this journey are light in the darkness.

I John 1:5 The apostle John speaking " This is message we have heard from Him and declare to you. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all."

That day sitting in the library I did not learn anything new, it just became more real. This journey may seem dark at times, maybe even pitch black, but the light shines brighter in the darkness.

Let's look to the stars and then look to the One who made the stars.