to sit under a starlit night

“I don’t know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.”

~ Vincent Van Gogh 

“…we found ourselves thinking, when enchanted by a starlit night, “Who then, made all this?” There was a feeling of awe and wonder”

~ anonymous 

I sometimes sit.

And just dream.

I find myself drawn to the night. To the stars in the sky, to the moon, to the noises and the tapestry of shadows pierced here and there with the last vestiges of daylight.

And I dream.

I don’t think of the childhood dreams I had of riches or fantasy lands with dragons and knights and searching quests into the unknown (or of my high school dream to BE BonJovi). My dreams are simple. They resonate within the heart of a man who has seen all of that. I’ve fought my dragons. Slain many, still hold a few at bay . I lived most of my life torn between fantasy and reality. The world I wanted shadowed by the depths of hurt that I knew too well.

And as I sat recently under the guise of a starlit night, I found a breath. And I dreamed.

Am I going to tell you my dream? No. That’s for me. But what I do know is that we have to stop. We have to take a moment and just sit on a simple bench, look around us and see…

The world is filled with darkness, with hurt; disagreements over politics and religion and the price of processed cheese. And if that is all you see, then I ask you to pause. Here in Georgia the rains are about to stop. In the next couple of days the stars will shine, the moon will rise and our hearts can be lifted from the hardships of the day. And we can dream.

A simple life. Our children to laugh and love deeply. The tasks we do each day to be filled with joy and a sense of accomplishment. The moments that we share be filled with heartfelt laughter and deeper meaning.

So as I sit looking for the next cloudless eve, even now I ponder - wondering what the day will unfold. How rich my life has become just by standing on my own two feet, working with my two hands, and living my dream.

Because dreams change. And sometimes we find what we want in the middle of sitting…

Under a starlit night.

~ Peace

The Burtle