Perspective

There were nights in Guam when I would audibly gasp at the amazing expanse above me. We would lie on the trampoline in the backyard for hours just star gazing.

Tonight was one of those kind of nights here in Hawaii. A beautiful clear evening giving me pause to look up in wonder at the skies.

When the lights are off, the stars are easier to see.

Galileo admitted, “I've loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."
I find comfort in this space.
I've concluded that “in the dark” should no longer be a synonym for ignorance and confusion. Tonight, it’s my doorway into clarity.
Reflection is all I have to do.

I have been reflecting on how my mom influenced our lives; on how the family celebrations will now change; and on the legacy we leave when what matters least takes a rightfully distant back seat to what matters most in life.

It's natural to resist Life's Tragedies with everything you have, but when you are inside them you get a different sense of what is important. What is sacred.
Some would say moments like these are a break from reality, but I have it the other way around.
I think life's real moments are those when we're sometimes brought to this place of pain.
I think we have a way of getting a certain perspective.
You want to hug your kids and be home when you can.
That to me, that's reality.
We just forget it when we get caught up in what it takes to get through every day.
Life has a way of toughening us up so we can do what we need to do, but we pay a price for it.

Light reflects on the memories contained as our family's faces smile out into the un-familiar future.
Shadow streaks alongside light, reminiscent of the woman whose presence will appear this upcoming year only in memory.
It's time for me to count the stars.