My dad once told me, “Perhaps the best way to soften your mind and strengthen your faith, is to spend a dark evening with the stars.” Last weekend, at the end of a date, we began talking about the stars. We looked up at the sky, trying to find constellations. We ended up finding a good stargazing spot and from there we entered a long and enlightening conversation. Using the stars a beginning, we discussed family, the church, society as a whole, the end of the world, temples, the priesthood, etc. These glimpses of heaven are needed to remind us that we are, “less than the dust of the earth.” Among our cities, walking and driving along the asphalt and cement we laid, working and studying in the buildings we raised up, sitting in the comfort of the couches and chairs we designed and built, it is easy to forget the beauty, splendor, majesty, and the awesome magnificence of God’s creation. This creation we cannot match; we must be reminded of it.
Perhaps one of the dangerous aspects of city life is this separation from God’s creation. We become so focused on what we, as humans have done, we forget the planet upon which we walk, the planet the dwarfs all we have accomplished.
So, star-gazing is an excellent pastime, as well as night walks. These things are just a little more difficult when it gets below freezing at night. But I cannot wait until its warm enough that the seep and dissipation is forestalled long enough for an enjoyable night-walk (the unique warmth the last few days made that star-gazing date possible).
2 comments:
Star gazing eh? Yeah, it's way fun. I remember you liked Cassiopeia...and every time you would pronounce it wrong. Hehe.
You should come down to Tucson sometime. There aren't a lot of beautiful things around here,except the occasional dust devil, but the stars are fun to look at. Due to the proximity of some observatories the city is required to limit the amount of lighting (no street lights in residential areas) and this makes it an ideal place to observe the stars.
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