The Awesomeness Of It

     The pre-fall early morning sky in the great mid-west is quite impressive.  I'm talking about the up before the crack of dawn sky, so I'm sure there are a few people who never see this.

     Jupiter is rising in the east and shines brightly as it reflects the sun which is still hidden behind the horizon.  The constellation Orion, the hunter, can be seen a little to the left of Jupiter.  Saying 'a little to the left' while gazing at the vastness of space is kind of silly, but it's the best terminology I have at my disposal. 

     Below Orion, and more to the east is Sirius, no, not the satellite radio station.  Sirius is a star, a sun.  It's much like our sun, only bigger.  It is in a solar system that is closest to our solar system, and it's about 8 light years from us.  That figures out to be about 50 trillion miles away, so the next time you realize that your missing one ingredient to finish fixing supper and have to run to the store, thank your lucky stars, no pun intended, you don't have to drive to Sirius. 

     While I was looking at Sirius, I thought how cool it was to be looking at another sun.  It made me think about the time my young grandson and I were doing a little star gazing and I pointed out the planet Jupiter to him and explained it was a planet in our solar system.  He looked up at me and asked, "What are the people like there?"  The innocence of a child.  I answered him simply, "I don't know."  His honest question is what makes the world turn.  It's what dreams are made of and why we have rocket scientists and spaceships.  It's the core of humanity, to "be yee like little children", and we forget that when we let life get cluttered with so much stuff that doesn't matter.

     The universe is a wonderful, awe inspiring place.  It amazes me that the ancients were able to map out the stars and planets and did it without high technology, telescopes or the Google Sky Map app.  Say that 3 times, really fast, and if you don't have that app on your smart or not so smart phone, you don't know what you're missing. 

     The next time you feel overwhelmed, take a trip out the back door, look up into the night sky, or better yet, haul your butt out of bed early, and take the time to really look at the panoramic view that lies in front of you.  When you do, may you be blessed with the understanding that there really is a plan being followed.  A grand design that was set in place a long time ago and you are a part of it.
You have a place here, a purpose, keep looking and you'll find it.