December 24, 2018

​I remember my first introduction to the stars. It was a summer night in 1947. We laid blankets on the ground and my parents, my brother, my granddad and I gazed up at the night sky. My granddaddy pointed out the constellations and recited poems of the stars.
 
I have wondered as I have wandered in my backyard and on walks in my neighborhood, but it was the places far away from lights that made me love and appreciate the Christmas night story. I have wondered as I wandered in the Big Bend country, in New Mexico, and in Montana where I watched the bright stars on most nights and the wonderful Northern Lights on other nights.  When I lived in Yellowstone Park, I never missed a clear night sky. I know there is something out there, something I hope to find (or maybe I have found).
 
One night long ago the shepherds saw the glory that shone around that first Christmas night.  When I look at the same dark sky, full of dazzling bright stars, it makes me wonder if on that dark night long ago the shepherds saw what we can see, if we wonder about it and look for it.
 
We thank you God for the moon and the sun and the stars and the world around us. May we, like the shepherd, always look for the beauty of your world.  Amen.
 
Judd Holt (2009)